PROVINCIAL MUSEUM, HALIFAX, N. S. PERKINS. 149 



show the actual bone to Dr. True, but at the time of my visit to 

 the American Museum in New York, I had the bone and was 

 able to leave it with Mr. Andrews, who later wrote concerning 

 it: "I have just finished a comparison of the periotic bone 

 which you sent with that of Delphinapterus leucas and of 

 Monodon monoceros. As soon as I looked at the periotic of this 

 specimen, it seemed to resemble very closely the corresponding 

 bone of Monodon. A comparison shows that in size and gen- 

 eral shape it agrees very much better with M. monoceros than 

 with D. leucas. In fact the whole shape of the bone is decidedly 

 unlike Delphinapterus. In order to verify my opinion, I 

 showed the specimen to Dr. W. D. Matthews, and he agreed 

 with me -that while there are some points of difference between 

 the periotic of this specimen and that of Monodon, yet it is 

 certainly closer to that genus than to Delphinapterus. Your 

 specimen, on the other hand, agrees well with Delphinapterus, 

 consequently it would seem to me unlikely that it and the Hali- 

 fax whale can be of the same species or even the same genus. 

 . . . . The tympanic and periotic are, so far as I am 

 aware, subject to less individual variation than any other bones 

 in the cetacean skeleton, a'nd the remarkable difference shown 

 in the Halifax whale would seem a pretty good ground for a 

 close examination of the species if it has been referred to Del- 

 phinapterus. Of course if you could see the rostrum of the 

 Halifax specimen and determine whether or not the upper 

 teeth were present, it would simplify matters very greatly, for 

 Moncdon has no teeth aside from the tusk." The above is, I 

 think, conclusive as to placing the Halifax specimen in the 

 genus Monodon. 



Only a single living species of this genus is recognized by 

 any of the authorities. Whether the fossil specimen is to be 

 referred to the living speciese, or should -be placed in a species 

 by itself, cannot well be settled from the material in hand. 

 Undoubtedly, the fossil bo'nes are very much like corresponding 



