l^OTES ON A FOSSIL WHALE FEOM WYNYARD, 

 TASMANIA. 



Plates xxi., xxii. 



By H. H. Scott, 



Curator af the Launcestou Museum. 



(Communicated by Me. E. N. Atkinson.) 



EeacI LStli October, 1913. 



The specimens here referred to were discovered by Mr. K. 

 N. Atkinson in tbe tertiary fossil-beariui,' strata of the Table 

 Cape series, imbedded at the present tide line. This horizon 

 is practically basic, and is therefore here assumed to be 

 miocene. The history of the several recoveries of fossil 

 cetacean remains in Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania, 

 has of late years been made the subject of an extensive 

 paper by Dr. T. S. Hall, of the Melbourne University. (1) 

 Quite recently, also, Mr. F. Chapman, of the National 

 Museum, Melbourne, has noted the occurrence of Scaldi- 

 ceius in the Beaumaris cliffs. (2) In these several re- 

 cords Tasmania is accredited with a single fossil tooth, 

 discovered by Prof. Baldwin Spencer, and referable 

 under Dr. Hall's revised taxonomy to Parasqualodon 

 Wilkinsojii — being therefore senericaily and specifically homo- 

 taxial with Victorian specimens first recorded by Prof. 

 McCoy in 1864. (3) As tar as is known to me, this is the 

 first recorded instance of fossil whale bones belonging to the 

 appendicular skeleton being noted in Australia or Tasmania, 

 and therefore the find is of more than local interest. Against 

 this obvious gain there must be set the manifest disadvantage, 

 that all the tertiary fossil whales have been described from 

 teeth and skulls, while the appendicular skeleton lemains 

 quite unknown. 



In the present Table Cape cetacean the teeth and skull 

 being unknown makes direct comparison with the recorded 

 tertiary whales of Victoria impossible. In a general way 

 also this applies to other tertiary fossil whales, including 

 those recorded from Europe, North and South America. 



As illustrating this point, I may just say that out of 343 



(1) On the systematic position of the species of Squalodon and Zeuplodon, de- 

 scribed from Australia and New Zealand. Proc. Boy. Soe. Vict. 23 (N.S.) 1911, 

 p. 257. 



(2) On the occurrence of Scaldicetes in Victoria. Records Geological Survey of 

 "Victoria, vol. 3, part 2. 



(3) Geological Mag. v. 4 (1S61) p 145 pi. 8, f. 1. 



