10 STUDIES OF TASMANIAN CETACEA, 



pecially as the mandible was one of the missing portions. 

 As a recompense, however, there was a second complete 

 skull, in a splendid state of preservation, which permitted 

 a series of comparative measurements being taken. This 

 skull formed part of the Crowther collection, and bore elo- 

 quent testimony regarding the confusion of species previ- 

 ousl}- alluded to. It was labelled "'Fseudurca merhlionalis 

 — Donor, M^ L. Crowther, Esqr," but there can be no doubt 

 that its correct classification is that of Orca. Whether 

 gladiator, or capensis, is a matter of individual opinion, 

 but we would again draw attention to the fact that whales 

 vaiy greatly as regards sex and age characteristics, and far 

 too many species in the past have been created on insuffi- 

 cient evidence. We desire particularly to refrain from 

 adding further to the confused nomenclature, and prefer 

 to treat the present example as a member of the cosmopoli- 

 tan species 0. ffladiator. 



Orca gladiator. 

 A detached skull, and a skull with many of the asso- 

 ciated bones of the skeleton, exist in the Museum collec- 

 tion, and unless otherwise stated the notes given herewith 

 relate to the latter. 



Skull. 



The skull is extremely heavy in build, following the 

 general contour of the true dolphins with wide, even mas- 

 sive, squamosal regions, notched beak, and maxillary bosses 

 two inches — or more — in thickness. The vertex gives 

 characters that by reason of its squared ridges distinguish 

 it immediately from Glohicephalus, and in part from the 

 Fsendorca. 



This skull — which unfortunately is devoid of a man- 

 dible — is three feet three and a half inches long, two feet 

 two inches wide, and one foot five and a half inches high, 

 from the par-occipital processes to the vertex. Its great- 

 est maxillary width is in the region of the pre-orbital pro- 

 cess of the frontal, where it yields a measurement of 

 twenty-two inches, it then contracts to twenty inches at 

 the notch (if we still follow the outline of the skull). 

 Across the actual notch itself, we get a measurement of 

 twelve inches nearly — and rather more at the middle of 

 the beak. 



Viewed from below, it is of interest to note, that the 

 intermaxillaries appear in the palate as a well marked pair 

 of wedge shaped strips, some fourteen inches long — or 

 half of the total palatal length. The vomer appears for 

 four inches only, its apex being eleven inches from the tip 

 of the beak. In Globiceplialiis the intermaxillaries only 



