﻿4G0 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [34] 
  

  

  ment 
  in 
  some 
  forms 
  do 
  not 
  necessarily 
  indicate 
  rudiments 
  of 
  the 
  ilium 
  

   and 
  pubes, 
  but 
  possibly 
  epipbyses 
  only. 
  

  

  The 
  displacement 
  of 
  the 
  pelvis 
  of 
  cetaceans 
  downwards, 
  it 
  seems 
  not 
  

   unlikely, 
  has 
  been 
  helped 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  bellies 
  of 
  

   the 
  psoas 
  or 
  byposkeletal 
  group 
  of 
  muscles 
  above 
  it, 
  as 
  the 
  massive 
  

   flexors 
  of 
  the 
  tail. 
  

  

  Rudiments 
  of 
  the 
  femur 
  and 
  tibia 
  were 
  discovered 
  by 
  Keinhardt 
  in 
  

   1843 
  in 
  Balcena 
  mysticetus. 
  Since 
  then 
  the 
  most 
  valuable 
  contributions 
  

   to 
  this 
  subject 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  Dr. 
  John 
  Struthers 
  in 
  papers* 
  deal- 
  

   ing 
  with 
  the 
  anatomy 
  of 
  this 
  region. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  specimens 
  Dr. 
  Struthers 
  obtained 
  the 
  following 
  meas- 
  

   urements 
  : 
  Length 
  of 
  pelvis 
  of 
  males, 
  8J 
  to 
  20 
  inches 
  ; 
  in 
  females, 
  10§ 
  to 
  

   1S£ 
  inches 
  ; 
  length 
  of 
  femur 
  in 
  males, 
  5£ 
  to 
  8^ 
  inches 
  ; 
  in 
  females, 
  3§ 
  to 
  

   8i 
  inches; 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  rudimentary 
  tibia 
  ranged 
  from 
  2§ 
  to 
  4} 
  

   inches. 
  It 
  is 
  thus 
  rendered 
  obvious 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a, 
  great 
  range 
  of 
  va- 
  

   riation 
  in 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  these 
  elements, 
  in 
  fact 
  in 
  one 
  instance 
  it 
  

   was 
  found 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  female 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  femur 
  of 
  one 
  side 
  was 
  an- 
  

   chylosed 
  to 
  the 
  pelvic 
  bone 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  side. 
  

  

  The 
  femora 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  flattened 
  laterally, 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  neck 
  

   partaking 
  of 
  this 
  character. 
  A 
  posterior 
  proximal 
  tubercle 
  was 
  ob- 
  

   served 
  which 
  was 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  trochanter 
  major. 
  " 
  If 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   mammalian 
  femur, 
  much 
  shortened, 
  be 
  flexed, 
  adducted, 
  and 
  rotated 
  

   outwards, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  brought 
  into 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  femur 
  of 
  mysticetus; 
  

   more 
  exactly, 
  it 
  the 
  pelvis 
  and 
  femur 
  of 
  a 
  seal 
  be 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  hands 
  and 
  

   so 
  manipulated, 
  the 
  correspondence 
  becomes 
  evident, 
  and 
  it, 
  is 
  seen 
  then 
  

   that 
  this 
  tubercle 
  is 
  the 
  trochanter 
  major." 
  {Op. 
  tit., 
  p. 
  155.) 
  

  

  Cartilage 
  was 
  markedly 
  developed 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  and 
  condylar 
  ex- 
  

   tremities, 
  and 
  the 
  head 
  was 
  received 
  into 
  an 
  imperfectly 
  developed 
  

   acetabulum 
  in 
  some 
  cases. 
  The 
  tibia 
  was 
  represented 
  by 
  what 
  is 
  evi- 
  

   dently 
  only 
  its 
  proximal 
  end, 
  and 
  was 
  wholly 
  cartilaginous 
  and 
  pyri- 
  

   form 
  in 
  shape. 
  

  

  Struthers 
  t 
  states 
  that 
  in 
  Megwptera 
  longimana 
  "he 
  found 
  the 
  thigh 
  

   bone 
  to 
  be 
  entirely 
  composed 
  of 
  cartilage, 
  of 
  a 
  conical 
  shape, 
  the 
  length 
  

   being 
  5.J 
  inches 
  on 
  the 
  right 
  side 
  and 
  4 
  on 
  the 
  left. 
  It 
  was 
  encased 
  in 
  a 
  

   mass 
  of 
  fibrous 
  tissue. 
  This 
  fibrous 
  case 
  was 
  connected 
  internally 
  to 
  its 
  

   fellow 
  of 
  the 
  opposite 
  side; 
  superficially 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  outside 
  to 
  the 
  pos- 
  

   terior 
  pelvic 
  muscular 
  mass, 
  and 
  anteriorly 
  passing 
  from 
  the 
  thigh 
  bone 
  

   itself, 
  was 
  a 
  special 
  band 
  appearing 
  like 
  a 
  fibrous 
  prolongation 
  of 
  the 
  

   bone. 
  The 
  thigh 
  rested 
  loosely 
  on 
  the 
  pelvic 
  bone 
  without 
  articular 
  

   surface, 
  but 
  was 
  bound 
  loosely 
  to 
  the 
  latter 
  by 
  a 
  strong 
  posterior 
  liga- 
  

   ment, 
  and 
  by 
  a 
  weaker 
  ligament 
  in 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  hip 
  joint 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  boues, 
  articulation, 
  and 
  muscles 
  of 
  the 
  rudimentary 
  hind 
  limbs 
  of 
  the 
  Green- 
  

   land 
  right 
  whale 
  (fialwna 
  mysticetus). 
  Jouru. 
  Anat. 
  and 
  Physiol. 
  XV, 
  1880-'81, 
  pp. 
  

   111-176 
  and 
  301-321, 
  with 
  Plates 
  XIV-XV1I. 
  

  

  tOn 
  the 
  rudimentary 
  hind 
  limb 
  of 
  Megaptera 
  longimana. 
  (Am. 
  Naturalist, 
  XIX, 
  

   1835, 
  p. 
  125.) 
  

  

  