38 



BULLETIN 3(5, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



some of them "may be speciiically distinct."* With this skull, the type 

 of T. metis, ami the skulls called T. truncatus in the British Museum 

 before me, I wrote iu my uote-book, " It is doubtful if any distinction 

 is to be made between these." 



For my owu part I have uo hesitancy in making T. eurynome a syn- 

 onym of T. tursio. The species is founded on a single skull, and its 

 characters are drawn from jiroportions. It has been shown that neither 

 in absolute size nor iu proportions does it lie outside the limits of vari- 

 ation of T. tursio. It should be borne in mind that iu cases of this 

 kind we can never hope to acquire specimens agreeing cxacthj with the 

 type. Among a thousand skulls of the same species it is doubtful if 

 any two absolutely alike could be found. 



Tursio metis Gray. 



The second of Gray's species to be considered is his Tursio metis. 

 Gray states that the skull " differs from Delpliimis Tursio\s in the nose 

 being much shorter and more conical and acute."! As a matter of 

 fact, the beak is relatively longer than the skull of T. tursio from 

 Montagu's collection in the British Museum (353ft), which Gray includes 

 in the latter species in the Catalogue. That the beak is more acute than 

 in many specimens of T. tursio is true; but it is less acute than in No. 

 22080 of that species from Ilatteras, which was picked up on the beach 

 with others by myself. Comparing it with the latter, I find that the 

 beak is a trifle shorter, but somewhat wider both at the base and at 

 the middle, and that the intermaxillne are also wider. I cannot but 

 regard it as a narrow-beaked specimen of T. tursio. 



Tursio cy mo dice Gray. 



Tursio cymodice is founded on a youngish skull. It has an almost 

 exact counterpart in No. 207G7, from Point Lookout, Maryland. 



Mcasurcmcnta. 



355a. Tur- 



slops 



cymodice. 



Type. 



207C7. Tur- 



siops tursio. 



Point 



Lookout, 



Maryland. 



Total lengtli 



Lenjith of beak 



lUeadtli of beak at maxillary notrhes 

 Breadth of beak at middle 



Cm. 



45.7 



24.9 



11.6 



C.8 



Cm. 



45.2 



24.8 



U.4 



C.9 



Professor Flower very justly says : 



T. cymodice may be at once expuuged from tbe list. It is fouudeil on a siugle skull 

 of a very young auimal.t 



'Flower, P. Z. S., 1883, p. 487. 

 t Cat. Seals aud Whales, p. 2o7. 

 {Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1883, p. 480. 



