706 ANNEXE I 
condition of the upper jaw resembles Mesoplodon Hectori in which the 
only teeth present at the apex of the lower jaw are concealed by mucous 
membrane. The lower jaw has usually 2—6 teeth on each side in front. 
An adult specimen of this Cetacean has never been stranded, before the 
present example, in Ireland, so far as one is guided by records, a some- 
what uncertain criterion. Small groups have been noted from elsewhere. 
Globiocephalus melas Trail. is somewhat rare on the West Coast ofIre- 
land although a shoal of 300 were killed on the Coast of Kerry in 1844. 
There are several records of their visiting other parts of Ireland. I for- 
med one of a shooting party that tried to get some specimens from a 
group that visited the North and North East of 1reland some years ago. 
One was secured for dissection and some interesting points noted in con- 
nection with the peritoneum. The specimen now noted for comparison 
was evidently a stray member of a school which had wandered away from 
the place where the herd was being hunted. It had received a spear 
thrust, or an harpoon wound in the side a few feet in front of the tail. 
It was 6",41 long, greyish white in colour. The colour was due to a thin 
pellicle of epidermis which came away leaving the skin black beneath. 
The globular projecting fat—formed forehead overhung the duck—like 
beak more than the drawing of Murre’s typical specimen would suggest. 
Seven teeth only appeared on each side. There are however ten sockets 
in the skull. An edentulous condition seems common in old specimens, 
sockets, however, appeared after: the skull had been cleaned, on each side 
of the upper jaw and eight sockets on each side of the lower jaw. 
The maxillæ bound the narial openings as Owex pointed out, and this 
takes place anteriorly. 
The intermaxillary bones form the apex of the upper jaw, but show 
oniy for a short distance in the anterior part of the palate. Widening 
oradually as they are traced back in the palate, the measure across is 
5°%,3 (2°%,6). This is opposite the second tooth, farther back the surface 
gets rapidly narrow and the intermaxillary bones do not show bey- 
ond à point 8 cm. behind the apex of the jaw.It is very different on the 
upper surface where these bones form plates that lie on the maxillæ. 
The teeth in the upper jaw are set in distinct cup-like cases which ap- 
pear as if inserted in the upper jaw. The lining ossific deposit in the 
lower jaw rises only a short distance round the teeth at the base and 
does not stand out from the bone as happens in the upper jaw. This ten- 
dency to extension of the ossification suggests a step toward the forma- 
tion of composite teeth. 
The palatines meet in the middle line of the palate and separate the 
pterygoids from one another on the palate surface and from the median 
line. 
The reptilian characters of the teeth and lower jaw, — the position of 
VAR? 
