436 Dr. J. Hector on the New-Zealand Bottlenose. 



XL v.— On the New-Zealand Bottlenose (Lagenorhynclius 

 clanculus, Gray). By Dr. James Hector, F.R.S. 



Several lower jaws, a skull, and one complete skeleton of a 

 Bottlenose Dolphin referable to this species are in the Colonial 

 Museum, the skeleton having been described by me in the 

 ' Transactions of the New-Zealand Institute,' vol. ii. p. 27. 



It was not till December last, however, that I had an op- 

 portunity of examining this dolphin in the flesh, although it 

 appears to be common in Cook's Straits, at least during the 

 summer months ; and as the species appears only to have 

 been founded on a skull obtained in the Pacific Ocean, and 

 now in the British Museum, the notes I made may have some 

 interest. 



The specimen I have to describe was shot from the deck of 

 the Colonial Government S. S. ' Luna,' at Cape Campbell. 

 The vessel was at anchor under shelter of the Cape during an 

 official inspection of the lighthouse ; and a large schul of 

 these " porpoises," as they are commonly called, kept tempt- 

 ing fate till two were shot. Only one was secured ; and the 

 preparation of the skeleton has left no doubt that, although a 

 smaller individual, it belongs to the same species as the one 

 already in the Museum. 



The colouring, which, as far as I have been able to judge 

 by casual inspection, is very uniform in all the individuals, 

 has very marked characters. The nose and forehead are pure 

 white, bounded by a black crescent behind the blow-hole, 

 sharply defined in front, but shading off behind to light 

 grey, which is the uniform colour of the upper surface of the 

 body. The fins are all blacker than the trunk ,* and there 

 is also pure black round the blow-hole, cloaca, and vent. 

 The white of the snout extends behind the eye ; but the 

 dusky colour extends forward beneatli the angle of the mouth. 

 The inferior surface for about one third of the girth is white 

 as far back as the vent, but crowned by an oblique V-shaped 

 isthmus of dark grey beneath the pectorals. The white band 

 is also continued behind by two lateral stripes that ascend on 



