14 MAMMALS OF PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW JERSEY. 



Genus Megaptera Gray, Zoology Voyage Erebus and Terror, 1846, p. 16. 

 New England Humpback Whale. Megaptera nodosa (Bonnaterre). 



1 789. Balcena nodosa Bonnaterre, Tableau Encycl. et Methodique ; Trois 

 Regnes de la Nature ; Cetologie, p. 5. 



1898. Megaptera nodosa True, Proc. U. S. National Museum, Nov. 4^ 

 Vol. 21, p. 635. 



Type locality. — Shores of New England (Dudley in Phil. Trans. Roy. 

 Soc, Lond.). 



Faunal distribtdtion. — The East Atlantic form of the M. boops of authors is 

 numerous on the entire Atlantic coast of the United States. 



Distribution in Pa. and N.J. — Occurring off the New Jersey coast ; speci- 

 mens having been taken on the coast of Maine, Massachusetts and Virginia, 

 and described by Cope (Proc. A. N. S., Phila., 1865, 1866) as M. osphyia. 



Habits, etc. — Owing to the poor quality of this whale it is avoided by 

 whalers. It is distinguished from the rorqual by the great length and size of 

 its fins. The hump-like form of the dorsal fin gives it the common name. 

 They are extremely variable in color, black, white and gray being variously 

 combined. The Megapteras are the only baleen whales which ''breach" or 

 leap clear of the water. They are very playful, striking each other resounding 

 whacks with the immense flippers and thrashing about in and out of the water 

 so as to be heard miles away in favorable weather. They have been known 

 to spout twenty feet high in calm weather. The young number one to two. 

 They feed on crustaceans and fish. 



Records in Fa. and N. J. — It is possible that the record of a "pike-headed 

 whale" given by Ord (see under Balcejioptera acutorostrata above) as taken 

 in the Delaware river, may have referred to this species. I know of no 

 records of the stranding of this whale on our shores. — Rhoads, 1902. 



Family Physeterid^e ; Sperm or Toothed Whales. 

 Genus Physeter Linnaeus, Systema Naturse, vol. i, 1758, p. 76. 

 Sperm Whale ; Cachalot. Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus. 



1758. Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, Systema Naturae, Vol. i, p. 76. 



Type locality. — Seas of Europe. 



Faunal distribution. — Temperate and tropical seas of the world. Rarely 

 reaching arctic seas. 



Distribution in Pa. and N. y. — Rarely washed ashore on the New Jersey 

 coast. Not frequenting sandy seacoasts or shallow waters as do the rorquals. 



Habits, etc. — This huge animal, the most desirable from an economic 



