G. ziPiiTus. 351 



Dauphin de Dale, Blcdno. N. Bull. Soc. Phil 1825, 139. t. at p. 125, 

 1826 ; F. Cuv. Ma?nm. Lith. t. (bad). ? . 



5 . Delpliinus Sowerbyensis (female), Eschricht, Ann. 8f Mag. N. 11. 1852. 

 Mesoplodon Sowerbiensis (female), Van Bcneden. 

 Nodus Dalei, Waijlcr, N. S. Amph. 34, 1830. 

 Delphiuorlivnclius microptenis, Dumortier, Mem. Acad. Brux. 1830, 



xii. 1. 1-3' (good) ; F. Cuv. Cetac. 114. t. 9. f. 1 (not good), t. 7 (skull); 



Gray, Cat. Cetac. B. 31. 73. 

 Delpliinus micropterus, C*«r. licff. Anim. i. 288. 

 Mesodiodon micropterum, Duvernoy, Ann. Sci. Nat. xv. 1851, t. 3. 



(head). 

 Ileterodon Dalei, Lesson, Man. Matnm. 419, from Blainv, 

 Aodon Dalei, Lesson, CEuvr. Buffon, i. 155. t. 3. f. 1. 

 Dioplodou Sowerbiensis, Gcrvais, Zool. et Palcont. Franq. t. 40. f. 1 



(head from Havre). 



Inhab. Coasts of Europe. North Sea ; Elginshire, 1800 (Broclie) ; 

 Havre, 1825 {Blainv.) ; Ostend, 1835 {Dumortier). 



a. Cast of skull from Mr. Sowerby's specimen in the Anatomical 

 Museum, Oxford. Presented by Dr. Acland. 



Besides the beautiful figure of the male which was thrown ashore 

 on Elginshire in 1800, engraved in Sowerby's ' British Miscellany,' 

 there is a drawing of the head as sent by Mr. Brodie, made by 

 Mr. Sowerby, exhibited by him at one of Sir Joseph Banks's Sun- 

 day-evening parties, and now preserved in the Banksian collection 

 in the British Musum. The skull was preserved in Mr. Sowerby's 

 museum in Mead's Place, Lambeth, and when distributed at his death 

 it was purchased by the Rev. Dr. Buckland, the Dean of West- 

 minster, and sent to the Anatomical Museum in Oxford, whence 

 Dr. Acland kindly sent it to me for examination. 



While in Mr. Sowerby's possession, M. de Blainville, when on a 

 visit to England, made a slight sketch of the skull (engraved in 

 ' Zool. Erebus and Terror,' t. 5), and, under the name of D. Soiver- 

 hiensis, gives the following description of it : — " Tete osseusse, la 

 machoire superieure est plus courte et infiniment plus etroite que 

 rinforieure qui la regoit ; en outre cette machoire inferieure est 

 armee de chaque cote et au milieu de son bord d'un seul dent tres 

 fort comprime'e et dirigee obliquement en arriere. L'orifice de 

 I'event est en croissant dont les comes sont tournees en avant." — 

 Blainv. Desm. Diet. II. N. ix. 177. 



The above description and BlainviUe's sketch show that it belonged 

 to the genus Ziphius of Cuvier, before only known in the fossil state ; 

 and the examination of the skull has proved the accuracy of these 

 determinations. 



Before discovering the drawing of the skull, I was induced, from 

 the lateral position of the teeth and small size of the fins, to consider 

 this species the same as the Delphinorhynchus micropterits of the 

 coast of France and Belgium (see Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1846), believing 

 the difference in the size of the teeth (which Mr. James Sowerby's 

 description appears to indicate^ to be only a peculiarity produced 

 probably by the age of the specimen ; and further study has induced 

 me to return to that opinion. 



