CETACEA. 23 



ture of these bones depended on the mobility of the neck of the 

 different species, fitting it for their different habit and manner 

 of life, indicated by the size of the fins and other external cha- 

 racters. 



Professor Eschricht (in Forhandl. Sekand. Naturf. Kiobenh. 

 1847, 8vo, 1849, p. 103) has published a paper on the geogra- 

 phical distribution of some of the Northern Whales, with a map, 

 by which it appears that Balcena mysticetus in Baffin's Bay lives 

 from latitude 65 to 69 in December to June, and in July and 

 August ascends to 77. The Finnolic live in 76 in the summer, 

 on the coast, North Greenland, and 69 in South Greenland. The 

 Keporkak 76 in North Greenland, and 62 in South Greenland. 



The anatomy of these animals, and especially a description of 

 their bones, have been given in Albers. Anat. Comp. t. 1 ; Cam- 

 per, Cetacea, t. II and 12 ; Rudolphi, BerL Abhand. 1820, 1. 1-4 ; 

 Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. 564. t. 26. f. 5; M. Ravin, Ann. Sci. Nat.; 

 Van Breda, Van der Linden, and J. Dubar, in separate pam- 

 phlets on the specimen cast ashore at Ostend, which was exhi- 

 bited in London some years ago. 



Cuvier (Oss. Foss. v. 264) figures the skull of a specimen de- 

 scribed by Lacepede, from the Mediterranean, under the name of 

 Rorqual de la Mediterranee (t. 26. f. 5), and he gives a copy 

 of the head of the skeleton of Balcena rostrata of Rudolphi, Ber- 

 lin Abhand. 1820, t. 1, 2, 3, 4, under the name of Rorqual du 

 Nord, Oss. Foss. v. t. 26. f. 6, and points out the differences be- 

 tween them ; but the skull of the various specimens which I have 

 examined did not offer any striking characters to separate the 

 species. 



Polach (New Zealand, ii. 407) describes these w< hales as having 

 three fins on the back ; this is probably only a false translation of 

 Ray's B. tripennis, referring to it having a dorsal as well as two 

 pectoral fins. 



O. Fabricius (Fauna Grcenlandica, 36) describes B. Boops with 

 the blower on a common tubercle, and covered by a common 

 valve ! 



2. MEGAPTERA. HUMP-BACKED WHALES. 



Head broad, moderate, flattened. Throat and chest with deep 

 longitudinal folds. Dorsal fins low or tuberous, rather behind 

 the middle of the body. The pectoral very large, ^ the entire 

 length of the animal, as long as the head, consisting of only 

 four fingers. The eyes rather above the angle of the mouth. 

 The navel is rather before the front edge, the male organs under 

 the back edge of the dorsal, and the vent rather nearer the tail, 

 and the female organs are rather behind the back edge of the 

 dorsal, with the vent at its hinder end. 



