256 Miscellaneous. 
cumscribe the anterior orifice of the nostrils, which is dominated by 
the nasal bones, also unsymmetrical, soldered together on the me- 
dian line, and resembling in their totality a leaf of trefoil, in con- 
sequence of the two notches which deeply divide them. The right 
intermaxillary is considerably broader than the left one; in con- 
sequence the nostrils are thrown down to the left. 
Between the crests of the intermaxillaries and the margins of the 
maxillaries which are concentric with them, there exists a broad 
fossa, which may be denominated suborbital. The skull, seen from 
above, therefore presents three enormous excavations—namely, a 
median or nasal one, limited externally by the intermaxillaries, and 
two lateral or suborbital ones, limited externally by the maxillaries. 
On the lower surface of the cranium we find the intermaxillaries 
in front forming the beak of the upper jaw, and much more deve- 
loped than in other Cetacea. The vomer appears only as a very 
thin lamina, placed on the median line, at a little distance from the 
intermaxillaries. 
The posterior orifice of the nasal fossee is situated on the median 
line, and bounded in front and laterally by broad pterygoids. 
The lateral surfaces of the cranium present a reduced orbital 
cavity at the margin of the frontal ; posteriorly the zygomatic apo- 
physis of the temporal does not become united to the postorbital 
apophysis of the frontal; in front there exists a fragment of the 
jugal, united to the upper maxillary. The jugal apophysis is want- 
ing, and with it the inferior boundary of the orbit. 
The maxillary passing above the orbital apophysis of the frontal, 
causes a change in the position of the suborbital foramen, which 
becomes supraorbital in Ziphius, as in the Cachalot. 
The temporal fossze are deep, but not broad. 
The posterior surface of the cranium is almost entirely composed 
of the occipital bones ; it is subtriangular, terminated above by a nar- 
rowed portion of the frontal articulated with the nasals. The occi- 
pital foramen is situated at the lower third of its height. The 
cerebral cavity is spacious and of considerable transverse diameter ; 
the falx is very high. 
I cannot at present give more than these imperfect details, which 
are the result of a first examination; but I am struck with the 
affinity of Ziphius to the Cachalots and Hyperoodons. It is, how- 
-ever, distinguished trom them by the extreme elevation of the poste- 
rior ascending portion of the intermaxillaries; in the Hyperoodons, 
on the contrary, the parts most developed are the maxillary crests. 
Lastly, I shall call the attention of anatomists to the singular ivory- 
like tuberosity of the vomer, the purpose of which seems very enig- 
matical to me. 
I suppose the cranium of Arcachon to be identical with that of 
the Galégeon, although I cannot assert this to be the case, but hope 
to arrive at a more positive conclusion after a comparative examina- 
tion of the two specimens. 
By this discovery we at least acquire a knowledge of an interesting 
fact, namely the existence of living specimens of Ziphius in the 
