22 CETACEA. 



a slender, elongated, triangular space in the front of the palate, 

 and in some the vomer is also more or less seen in the middle of 

 the palate ; but the absence and presence of this bone in the 

 palate, which Mr. Owen appears to regard as important in the 

 distinction of species (see ' British Fossils/ p. 518), is of very little 

 consequence, at least in this kind. 



Cuvier (Oss. Foss. v. 303) described the cervical vertebras as 

 fused into a single piece, yet in Anat. Comp. i. 105, he states that 

 in the Dolphins the atlas and axis only are united, the other 

 cervical vertebrae remaining separate, though extremely thin. 

 Lesson (Get. p. 226) describes the six first as quite thin' in the 

 D. Delphis, and the last as somewhat thick. Dr. Jackson, who 

 points out these discrepancies, described the dolphin he examined 

 as having the first and second cervical scarcely moveable upon 

 each other, and the other five smaller and rather more moveable. 

 Jackson, Bost. Journ. N. H. v. 155. 



The vertebras are thus enumerated : 



1. Cuvier, Anat. Comp. i. 103 14 dorsal, 52 posterior. 



2. Oss. Foss. v. 303 13 47 



3. Lesson, Get. 226 13 52 



4. Jar dine, Cetacea 12 52 



5. ? Jackson, Bost. Journ. N. H. v. 154... 14 55 



Dr. Jackson gives the following description of an American 

 specimen : 



Dusky black on the back, white on the belly, and lead-coloured 

 on the sides ; a dusky line from 1 to 2 inches in width commenced 

 a little above the eye and passing along the sides was lost in the 

 lead-colour within 18 or 20 inches of the tail, and another much 

 less distinct ran parallel to this. Length 7J feet. Forehead 

 convex, divided from the snout by a furrow. Foetus 38 inches ; 

 back dark bluish grey ; belly nearly salmon-colour ; no longitu- 

 dinal stripes as in the mother, but some very indistinct broad 

 transverse stripes were seen towards the back ; teeth had not yet 

 appeared; cervical vertebrae 7, dorsal 14, posterior to these 55;, 

 the first and second cervical large and scarcely moveable upon 

 each other, the other five were much smaller and rather more 

 moveable. 



Dolphin, Jackson, Bost. Journ. N. H. v. 153, 1845. 

 Inhab. Atlantic Ocean, N. America. 



Whales differing in no appreciable respect from the common 

 dolphin of the British coast came round us in the high seas of 

 every region of the globe during the voyage. It is widely open 

 to question whether the dolphins of so many distinct climates are 

 not also distinct species, but as long as we are to be guided by 



