: CETACEA. ; ay. 
te a. Stuffed specimen, young. Greenland. Professor Eschricht’s 
Wollection. 
_Megapteron Boops, Eschricht. 
6. Skullofadult. Greenland. Professor Eschricht’s Collection. 
ce. Baleenof skull}. ,, i, 
_ d. Skeleton. a 3% 35 
_ The cervical vertebre are all free. The second cervical verte- 
bra has two very large, thick, converging lateral processes, as 
long as half the diameter of the body of the vertebra. The third, 
fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh have elongated slender superior 
lateral processes which bend rather downwards, and the sixth and 
‘seventh rather forwards. The fourth and fifth have a very short 
rudimentary inferior lateral process, which is smaller on the left 
side. The other vertebre are without any. 
_ The upper part, or the spmous process of the second verrtebra 
‘is very large and convex, covering this part of the next vertebra. 
—Gray, P. Z. Soc. 1847, 92. 
_ Dr. Johnston’s description chiefly differs from Rudolphi’s in 
both lips having a row of tubercles, and in the dorsal being said 
to be a small obscure protuberance ; but the animal laid on its 
back, sunk in the sand. 
_ Rudolphi (Berl. Abhand. 1829, t. 1, 4) figures the bones of this 
eric, with enlarged details of the skull. They nearly resemble 
the skull of the Cape Rorqual of Cuvier im form, but the nasal 
bones are broad and nearly of the same width from the front of 
the blow-holes to near the tip, where they gradually taper: the 
temporal appear more quadrangular. 
According to Professor Eschricht, this is the most common 
whale in the Greenland Seas. In the Danish Transactions he 
has given a figure of this species, and a very detailed account of 
its anatomy and development, chiefly founded on the examina- 
tion of the fcetus. 
_ He observes, “ This animal is always infested with Diadema 
Balenarum, and with a species of Otion, which he regards as 
new, while the Cirripedes are never found on any species of Ba- 
lenoptera. On the other hand, the Tubicinella, Coronula Bale- 
naris and Otions are often found on the Balena Mysticetus or 
Right Whale of the Southern Seas: see Eschricht, 144. 
The following descriptions must be referred to this species 
with doubt ; as both agree with true Balenoptere in the position * 
of the genital organs and vent compared with the dorsal fin, and 
Fabricius especially says the pectoral fin is composed of five 
fingers. 
_ Ascanius (Icon. Rer. Nat. ii. t. 26) gives a figure of a female 
Rorqual with a plaited belly, 66 feet long, from the North Sea, 
. B2 
3) 
