196 HYPEROODON OF HONPLEUR. 



the head of his Bidentatus, came to the conclusion 

 that Baussard's and Hunter's specimens were one 

 and the same species ; belonging, however, to a genus 

 perfectly distinct from all others. He attached the 

 name Hyperoodon to both, and in this has been 

 followed by Desmaret, Lesson, and others to the 

 present time. 



But this is not all. Bonnaterre had applied the 

 specific name Butskopf to Baussard's specimens. 

 Butskopf by others, again, was considered the same 

 as Flounders-head; but this last appellation was 

 applied by Dale to the animal described by him 

 under the name of Bottle-head; and Cuvier re- 

 marking (Oss. Foss. V. 325) that Dale's figure and 

 Baussard's very much corresponded, conjoined this 

 Bottle-head to the Hyperoodons ; in this following 

 Hunter, who expressly says fPhil Trans. 1787, 

 447) that his second Bottle-nosed Whale is the 

 same as that described by Dale. Once more we 

 have to add, that the Bottle-head of Dale is by 

 Blainville identified, as we apprehend incorrectly, 

 with the toothless whale which comes next to be 

 described, and wliich is a very different animal. 



The Hyperoodon is peculiarly characterized by 

 these alleged false teeth in the upper jaw ; but even 

 allomng that these are not to be found in any species, 

 still the name has been affixed to a genus which 

 without doubt exists, and which is made con- 

 spicuous by marked peculiarities. The form of the 

 head alone distinguishes it irom the aodon, the only 

 one of the Cetacea to which it approaches. More- 



