182 THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 
The only two complete formule are: 
C. 7, D. 15, L. 15, Ca. 26 = 63,—Gothenburg. 
€.7, D: 16; LL: 15, Ca, 26 = 64,—Kiel. 
H. P. Gervais, without explaining how he arrived at the fact, remarks (51, m. 23), 
that “the vertebral formula given hitherto by the authors who have had occasion 
to observe and describe skeletons belonging to the species which occupies us 
[| B. musculus (1.)]| is the following: C. 7, D. 16, L. 15, Ca. 26 = 64.” In contradic- 
tion it will be observed from the preceding table that the Hull Museum specimen, 
described by Flower, and the Sylt Id. specimen, described by Mobius, are the only 
ones reported as having sixteen pairs of ribs. Sir William Turner, than whom 
there is no more competent authority, reports fifteen pairs for both the adult and 
the feetal Longniddry specimens. 
Gervais, however, insists on sixteen pairs, and further states that the number 
of lumbars is thirteen, rather than fifteen. He bases this latter assertion on an 
examination of a skeleton from Cape Horn (which he assigns to this species) and 
two skeletons and a foetus from Laponia. Gervais appears to have had in mind an 
ideal formula which he calls the formule générale, with which the various specimens 
would be found to agree if studied with sufficient care. Iam far from believing 
that such would be the case, as it seems to be demonstrated that in the majority 
of cetaceans the number of vertebre and their division into dorsals, lumbars, and 
caudals is subject to a certain amount of variation. Even in the specimen from 
Cape Horn which Gervais assigns to B. musculus the vertebral formula does not 
agree as regards number of caudals with his formule générale. 
Supposing Turner, Flower, Gervais, Malm, and Mobius all to have been correct, 
we should have a variation for the European L. musculus, as follows: 
(Gi) Ge Gh, IDE We, Ws eet, (Ca SS Gi 
(2) C, 7 1D, Wey IL, Tes, C2, HS Gu. 
(3) Cy Hn ID, RG Ib, WH, (CR, A = Oe, 
So far as adult North American specimens are concerned, we have for com- 
parison only the Ocean City whale, but while at the Newfoundland Station I 
examined and counted the vertebrze of three foetal specimens. The formule for 
these and the Ocean City whale are given below. 
It will be remarked that the three formule from Newfoundland feetuses are 
BALA{NOPTERA MUSCULUS (L.). AMERICAN. VERTEBRAL FORMULA. 
No. Locality. Date. ce Dd. L. Ca. Total. 
1 ‘Balena, Newfoundland | rgor 7 TON | eis 27 65 foetus 2 
14 de s 1gO1 7 15 14 28 64 pee. 
19 s - Igor 7 15 16 26 64" at ea 
Ocean City, New Jersey) 1891 7 15 147 |24(+-4?)/60 (+4?)| 
* Positively correct ! * Perhaps fifteen lumbars should be counted. It is uncertain. 
