THE TOOTHLESS WHALE OP HAVRE. 199 



Blainville, Dr. Suriray, and the son of M. F. Cuvier; 

 was delineated by Fred. Cuvier, and its skeleton 

 deposited in the Paris Museum ; so that few of the 

 Cetacea are more accurately known. The English 

 name we have applied from the locality in which it 

 was found. 



It has been remarked that the Aodon and neigh- 

 bouring genera form the links of the chain between 

 the larger whales and the dolphins, and we shall 

 perceive presently that there is some ground for this 

 opinion. The length of the specimen now under con- 

 sideration, which was of a young one, was fifteen feet, 

 and seven feet and a half in circumference. The 

 head, which was distinguishable from the body by a 

 marked neck, was two feet and a half long from the 

 extremity of the beak to the occiput; the body, 

 largest in the middle, became smaller at both ex- 

 tremities. Seen in profile, the dorsal line was 

 curved over the head and over the middle of the 

 body, whilst the under line presented nearly a regu- 

 lar curve. The muzzle was round, long, strait, and 

 perfectly resembled a bird's beak. No teeth were 

 discovered in either jaw in the recent state ; but after 

 the gums were removed, a few, in a rudimentary 

 state, as happens in the upper jaw of the cachalots, 

 &c., were found in the lower jaw. The spiracle 

 was two feet three inches from the extremity of the 

 beak; and its horns were directed forwards. The 

 eye was large, its longitudinal diameter measuring 

 two inches; it had an upper eyelid, but no trace 

 could be discovered of a conduit to the ear, either 



