BY H. H. SCOTT AND CLIVE E. LORD. 9T 



paper concerning the manner in which both genera and 

 species of the Cetacean order have been created in the 

 past. ^^'> These remarks apply with added force to the 

 Delphinidce, as pointed out in strong terms by Professor 

 Flower, ^^' when Avriting concerning Dr. Gray's tendency 

 to multiply species. 



Since Gray published his original description it has 

 been usual to refer to the Australian fonii of Tursiop^ as 

 T. catalania, and to eliminate T. iun<io as an Australian 

 species. We propose to show that 7'. turslo is to be found 

 in the Australian Zone, and, further, that we have certain 

 material which may relate to tlie species catalania. Our 

 present opinion regarding this second species is mainly 

 based on a study of the vert^br.-e, which differ in a re- 

 markable manner from the typical 7'?<r,s/o. Unfortunately, 

 Gray s original description of ratahinia is founded mainly 

 on a rather vague description of the osteology of the skull. 

 We hope to gather further material in the future regard- 

 ing this presumably second species, and to place our obser- 

 vations on record. In the present instance we will con- 

 fine oxxr attentions to showing that there is in Australian 

 seas a species which simulates very closely that of the 

 European T. tursin. The distribution of this species is 

 evidently cosmopolitan, but, in order to make a slight 

 local distinction, we propose to refer to the species in the 

 vernacular as "The Southern Form." 



As Gray s original description is not readilv available 

 to many Australian students, it has been considered ad- 

 visable to refer to portions of it in detail. Particularly 

 so as it has an important bearing on the present paper. 

 Gray stated '5' infer alia: — 



"Mr. John Macgillivray has sent to Mr. Cuming, who 

 " has transferred them to the British INIuseum collection, 

 " two skulls of a species of Dolphin or Bottlcnose whiih he 

 " regards as probably new. These skulls were accompanied 

 " by the following notes: — 



"Delphinus, N.S. The larger of the two skulls be- 

 " longed to an individual killed off Cape Melville (within 

 " tho Great Barrier Reefs), north-east coast of Australia, 

 " September 5th, 1860. It was a female, 11 feet in length. 

 "... The smaller cf the two skulls repr sents another of the- 

 " same species. It was c-onsiderablv smaller than the 

 " first one, being only 6-^ feet in lenc:th. . . The two skuHs 

 "differ in shane and size. No 1 is 17 inches long; the 

 " beak to the notch is 10 inches, and the upper teeth-bone 



• (3> Pnp. and Proc. Roy. Soc. Tas , 1919. p. 6. 

 (4) Flower, Proc. Zoo. Sac; Loud, 1883, p. 46f>. 

 (5^ P.Z.S., 1862, p. 143. 

 G 



