34 CETACEA. 



Professor Eschricht observes that " the Greenland Tikagulik, 

 or Bal&na rostrata of O. Fabricius, may be distinct from the Nor- 

 wegian Vaagekval or B. minor," 4th Mem. 157. Our Greenland 

 skull does not appear to differ from that of the English skeleton, 



4. PHYSALUS. 



The head elongate, flattened. The eye is near the angle of the 

 mouth, and the blowers lunate, covered by a valve and separated 

 by a longitudinal groove. The throat and chest with deep longi- 

 tudinal folds and very dilatile. The dorsal fin compressed, fal- 

 cate, -I the length of the body from the nose, behind the line over 

 the orifice of generation. The pectoral moderate, about - the 

 length of the body, % the length of the body from the nose, of 

 four fingers. The vent under the front of the dorsal fin. Male 

 organs f from the chin, in front of line of dorsal ; female near 

 vent. 



Vertebrae 54 to 64 ; cervical vertebrae all separate and free. 



The skull is broad, depressed ; nose broad, gradually tapering, 

 with straight sides, with a narrow interorbital space. Cuv. Oss. 

 Foss. v. 373. t. 26. 



The baleen is short, broad, triangular, rather longer than broad 

 at the base, and edged with a series of elongate, unequal, bristle- 

 like fibres, which become much thicker and more rigid near the 

 upper tip. It is internally formed of one or two crowded layers 

 of thick tubular fibres, covered on each side with a thin coat of 

 enamel, which becomes thinner and thinner near the edge, where 

 the fibres are free ; alwaj^s twisted. 



These animals are often called Razor-backs, Piked Whales, by 

 the sailors. 



The baleen or fin of the Finners is only used to split into false 

 bristles, but for this they are inferior to the Southern or lowest 

 kind of baleen of the Balance. 



Balenapterus, sp. Lacep. 



Balenopterus, sp. Lacep.; F. Cuv. D. S. N. Ixi. 518. 



Balaenoptera, sp. Lacep. Get. 



Balaenoptera, Sect. 2 & 3, Gray, Zool. Erefr. & Terror, App. 50. 



1846. 



Pterobalaena, pars, Eschricht, Nord Wallthier, 1849. 

 (Catoptera or) Cetoptera, Rafin. Anal. Nat. i. 219, 1815. 

 Mysticetus, sp. Wagler, N. S. Amph. 33. 

 Balaena, sp. Linn.; Illiger, Prod. 142, 1811. 

 Physalis, Fleming, Brit. Anim. 1828. 



Physalus, Lacep. Cet. ; Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1847, 90; Brandt. 

 Physelus, Rafin. Anal. Nat. 60, 1815. 



