48 CETACEA. 



finned Cachalot is specifically but not generically distinct from 

 the common one, and that therefore the genus Catodon is to be 

 abolished, and the name Physeter retained for both species ; and 

 secondly, that all the other species which have been distinguished 

 by various naturalists, have been founded upon trifling variations, 

 or upon vague arid insufficient data." Brit. Quad. 507. Thus, 

 though Mr. Bell differs from Cuvier in regarding them as distinct 

 species, yet he overlooked Sibbald's figures, for he says there is 

 no figure of the High -finned Cachalot in existence, and keeps it in 

 the genus Physeter, which he characterizes as having the " Head 

 enormously large, truncated in front," which is quite unlike the 

 depressed rounded head of the High-finned Cachalot; and he 

 also adopts the mistaken description of the dorsal fin. 



Dr. Jackson observes " The dorsal fin or hump forms a very 

 obtuse angle, and is ill-defined, being (in a space 16 feet long) 

 about 10 inches in length and 2 or 3 inches high;" there being, 

 he further remarks, "also between it and the caudal two or three 

 quite small finlets." Boston, Journ. N. H. v. 137. These latter 

 are, perhaps, what are represented as humps in Quoy's figure of 

 C. polycyphus. 



The figure of the Sperm Whale in Duhamel, Pes. iv. 1. 15. f. 3, 

 is good for the form and blower, and has the " taquet " marked ; 

 but a fin has been added below, between the vent and tail, in the 

 position of the anal fins of fishes ! in t. 9. f. 1. This author has 

 figured and described Orca gladiator for the sperm whale ! 



Bonnaterre's figure (E.M. t.7- f.2) of the Grand Cachalot taken 

 at Andiene, 1784, and copied by Lacepede, t. 10. f. 1, is not so 

 bad for form, but has a fin instead of a hump on the back. 



The figure of the Spermaceti Whale from the coast of Kent, 

 1794, in the Gent. Mag. t. 1, is very inaccurate, especially re- 

 specting the tail. 



It is to be remarked that all the older writers only describe 

 this animal as occurring in the Northern seas, and Robertson 

 and Fabricius described it as black when young, becoming whitish 

 below. 



All the figures, except Anderson's, are, by the unanimous ex- 

 perience of the whalers, far too long for the thickness ; and An- 

 derson's scarcely represents the " bunch " sufficiently prominent, 

 besides having the blower on the wrong part of the head. 



Beale (Nat. Hist, of the Sperm Whale) says, there is but one 

 species found in the North Sea, North America, New Guinea, Ja- 

 pan or Peru ; but this is merely speaking the language of whalers, 

 and by species he means, as he does in the other parts of his 

 book, genus. I have no doubt, from analogy of other whales, 

 that when we shall have had the opportunity of accurately com- 

 paring the bones and the various proportions of the parts of the 



