Mr. G. Gulliver on Delphinus melas. 221 



near the vent and genitals ; in a few males and females this light 

 colour extends in a narrow strip from these points along the under 

 part of the body, but never behind the eye, or elsewhere. 



The blubber was Ifths inch thick on the sides, much thicker on 

 the back, and composing the whole thickness of the snout. The 

 cuticle, which on its outer surface was like oil skin, when stripped 

 off, exhibited on its under side a jet-black velvet-like rete mucosum, 

 furnished with a very great abundance of black pigment. Around 

 the eyeball was a firm bony plate in the sclerotic coat ; and a white 

 funnel-shaped ligament, extremely thick, tough and strong, was at- 

 taehed by its base to the eyeball, and surrounded the optic nerve. 



As there is no opportunity here of consvdting the puhlished de- 

 scriptions and figures of the Cetacea, I am uncertain at present of 

 the species of this one. It does not correspond with any description 

 in the Rev. Leonard Jenyns's 'Manvlal of the A'^ertebrata,' a copy of 

 which is my travelling companion. The present animal approaches 

 nearest to his Grampus {Delphinus orca) and Ca'ing Whale {!). me- 

 las of Traill and D. deductor of Scoresby). But it is smaller than 

 either of them, though I suspect it will prove to be Traill's D. melas, 

 and has not the white spot behind the eye, nor the broad pectoral 

 fins of the Grampus, nor the very convex top to the head, the small 

 average numher of teeth (which he makes only twenty-four in all), 

 nor the colour of the skin of his Ca'ing Whale. The animals which 

 I examiued had a convex rounded snout, its thickness made up of 

 gristly hlubbcr, which it is possible may have been erroneously de- 

 scribed as the "top of the head." The Rev. Charles Archibald, 

 whom I had the pleasure of meeting among the carcases, directed my 

 attention to the difference between the pectoral fins of this species 

 and those of the Grampus. 



The relative position of the back fin, so much more forward in the 

 adult than in the foetus, is remarkable ; and, indeed, the comparative 

 measurements exhibit some interesting facts as to development. 



Dundrum, co. Down, May 20, 1853. 



Postscript. — The animal is undoubtedly the same as that described 

 under the name of the Uyea Sound or Ca'ing Whale by Air. Patrick 

 Neill in 1806, and afterwards figured by Dr. Traill from a drawing by 

 Mr. James Watson ; by Cuner ; by Captain Scoresby, Mr. Bell, and 

 Mr. Couch. 



But though these figures are sufficient to identify the species, they 

 all represent the pectoral fin as narrower at the base than it really 

 is ; and most of thorn show a twist of the tail, which was observed in 

 none of the specimens at Dundrum Bay. Cuviei''s plate is the only 

 one that gives an idea of the pointed end of the dorsal fin ; all the 

 others represent this posterior termination of the fin too blunt, 

 rounded, or short, though Air. Couch correctly describes it as fal- 

 cate. 



No doubt, the fcetus, 4 feet 8 inches long, from Dundrum Bay, 

 was nearly ready for birth in the middle of May. Dr. Traill men- 

 tioned sucklings five feet long in December 1806, at Scapay Bay, one 



