257 



THE SOOSOO OF M, DE BORDA. 



Soosoo Bordaii (Fossile), Cuv. 



This species Avas discovered by the late M. de Borda 

 at Sort, a village about six miles from Dax, in beds 

 of a species of falun, which are rich in all sorts of 

 shells and other products of the sea. Yeiy con- 

 siderable fragments of the jaws were procured and 

 sent to Paris, where at first they were considered 

 as belonging to the crocodile of the Ganges. Cuvier, 

 however, speedily demonstrated that this could not 

 be the case, and that they must have belonged to 

 a cetaceous animal. According to him, its head 

 mu5t have been two feet long, and its whole extent 

 about nine feet. From the lower jaw, he inferred 

 it must have been either a dolphin, in the extended 

 signification of that term, or a cachalot ; and fr'om 

 the fragments under inspection, it was most hkely 

 to be the latter, as none of the dolphins had the 

 lower jaw so formed, except the Gangeticus. An 

 examination, however, of the upper jaw speedily 

 settled tliis point, in as much as it had teeth, wliich 

 the cachalot has not. Cuvier concludes, that it is 

 certain that this Cete does not belong to any of the 

 species, the osteology of which is known. Th*^ 

 Gangeticus has the s}Tnphysis of the lower jaw ex- 

 VOL. VI. c c 



