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THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 
Genus BALAINA Linnezus. 
1, Batamna cisarctica Cope. 1865, 
“The Black Whale of the Whalers of our Coast.” 
Original description : Proceedings, Academy of Natural Sciences, Phila., 1865, 
No. 3, July—Aug., pp. 168-169. Read Aug. 8, 1865. 
Type-locality and date: Opposite Philadelphia, on the coast of New Jersey, 
1862." 
Type-specimen : Nearly complete skeleton of a half-grown individual, presented 
to the Philadelphia Academy by George Davidson. The whale had previously 
been exhibited for some time. 
Cope estimated that the length of the skeleton if complete would be 37 feet. It 
lacks the right nasal bone, the malars, the sternum, the carpal and pelvic bones, and all 
the chevrons. The ends of the maxille are broken off, and probably the premaxillee 
lack about two inches of their original length anteriorly. The ribs and phalanges 
are not accurately mounted. Cope’s description of the type is quite accurate, but 
contains one error, namely, the assertion that the sixteenth vertebra from the last 
pair of ribs is the first which has a perforated diapophysis. It is in fact the seven- 
teenth from the last pair of ribs, or the thirty-eighth vertebra in the series. Cope 
states that the total length of the skull axially is 101 inches. I am unable to make 
it more than 96} inches, but about 2 inches should be added for the breakage of the 
tip of the premaxillse, making 984 inches in all. If Cope’s measurement is correct, 
the skull must therefore have shrunk about 24 inches. This is quite possible, 
owing to the drying of the bones and the bending down of the rostrum.* Cope’s 
measurement of the breadth of the scapula is 29 inches. I make it 30 inches. 
The type-skeleton is figured on pl. 48. The following measurements of it were 
made by myself in May, 1900: 
Skull : Inches 
otalmlengthy (straight) meres eh sch eee ie ioeraeeicleicise sists aisiele ere terere eect serere 96.5 * 
Greatestibneadthi(AtyonDits)eae. acta do steboe mer ne ocr at ooo aa soa aera eaetee reais 65.75 
en sthwoberostnumyleas tar stralphiteveyverscel everett cemeretclsistenciersre cieterciorvercietei cra ctaeicie al teteras 76.0 
Breadth s atenard dleseurvied ararpeacretorevereterewe retake ccloverevereccle rete talie oecie irene eitescie tector We fRe= 
Wem ptheo fan asall Sijera roves evsich ayers «7a ya: ohe ave vovaner shea oreteteneetereva, ofsvove: cisseictstevctels ayes suatelsiaisis os alaye 8.0* 
Breadthofthenbwoynasalsidistallymi.:-neyelimericncicie isi saiasieieleielerersiee cieiele mercer cieioieteicr sere eh” 
Bread thvomoxbituimom) polntitolpomtip caste nrereremerniciciicceiccnceicencciacen eae 6.25 
‘A note (by Cope?) in the Amer. Naturalist, 12, 1878, p. 750, refers to the type as captured 
“near Philadelphia.” 
*In the table of measurements I have not used Cope’s measurement, because the skull has 
doubtless shrunk in other directions as well. 
* One or two inches should, perhaps, be added. 
“Internal border; the external border is 1o$ in. 
* Only the left nasal is preserved. This is 3} in. broad opposite distal end of inner border. 
Twice 33 = 7}. 
