THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC, 289 
to the former the baleen is “light yellow,” while Scammon gives the color as 
“licht brown.” Van Beneden states that the baleen in the Vienna museum is pale 
in color like that of B. acuto-rostrata. Dall’s sketch, according to Cope, showed 
the pectoral rounded at the tip, while Scammon states that it is pointed. Pechuel 
(73, 1186) described the color of this whale as variegated gray,—remarking that 
“many are entirely blotched; individuals entirely dark-colored are rarely seen.” 
Pechuel’s figure is very different from Scammon’s, having a much rounder and 
thicker head, and no irregularities on the median line of the back, and no furrows 
on the throat. It is rather a crude figure, though interesting in many particulars. 
Townsend’s figure of a feetal specimen 17 ft. long, published in 1886 (90) 
shows a distinct crest on the back, extending from the flukes nearly half-way to 
the head. The free margin is irregular in outline. ‘Townsend remarks regarding 
it: “The young Lhachianectes just before birth has a narrow, irregular longitudi- 
nal ridge along the posterior part of the back, which I did not observe in the 
adult. It extends from about opposite the vent to the flukes and is interrupted in 
many places. This ridge probably corresponds to the series of transverse ridges 
along the back of the adult as described by Scammon.” 
It is somewhat remarkable that the ridge was not seen in the adult. It is 
interesting to note that the Japanese, who appear to know this whale under the 
name of Kokwjira, recognize two forms, one of which has the crenate ridge on the 
back, while the other has not.1. Scammon’s statement that the ridges are trans- 
verse is extremely interesting, and this character deserves further investigation, as it 
is quite unlike anything found in other whales. 
The two characteristic throat furrows are shown in Townsend’s figure. 
SIZE. 
Dall calculated the length of the two specimens examined by him at Monterey at 
51 ft. and 48 ft. respectively; the latter a male. Scammon gave the length of the 
females as from 40 to 44 ft., but remarked that the latter would be considered large ; 
for the males he places the average at 35 ft., but states that they vary more in size 
than the females. In 1873, he gave measurements of a male 42 ft. long and stated 
that four other individuals were measured, ranging from 35 to 40 ft. A young 
male measured by Pechuel was 32 ft. long. Townsend in 1886 (90) published, as 
already mentioned, a figure of a foetal specimen 17 ft. long, from a female “nearly 
40 feet long.” It would seem that one or the other of these measurements must be 
incorrect. The dimensions of different specimens are given by Scammon, Dall, and 
Pechuel, as follows: 
*See MOsius, Ueber den Fang und die Verwerthung der Walfische in Japan. Betlage zu den 
Mitth. Sekt. Kiisten- und Hochsee-Fischerei, No. 7, July, 1894. 
