100 ZIPHTID^.. 



" This is the skull of a young animal. A groove containing 

 a strong ligament connecting the muscle of the forehead with 

 the snout is deeply imbedded in the intermaxillary groove. The 

 snout is described as long and flexible. Atlas and axis anchy- 

 losed. Length of cervical vertebrae 3^ inches. Scapula, lon- 

 gitudinal diameter 10 inches, transverse diameter 6 inches. Pad- 

 dles, length 14 inches, width 3J inches. Hyoid arch 5| x 4 inches 

 high. Pelvic bones 2i inches. 



" The specimen was cast on the beach on the west coast, and 

 prepared by Dr. Knox." — Hector. 



" Your Berardius proves to be quite different from the first one 

 we got, both in the dentition and form of the skull. We have had 

 several good papers on it from Dr. Knox. He has made a beautiful 

 preparation, showing that the tooth does not pass through the 

 gum."— Dr. Hector, letter dated 30th October, 1870. 



" A fine specimen of Berardius arnuxi has been cast ashore on 

 the coast of Canterbury, New Zealand. It was made into a skele- 

 ton, which is now in the museum at Canterbury. The skeleton is 

 complete, only wanting one of the pelvic bones. It was 30 feet 

 long, and a young animal; not a single epiphysis is anchylosed. 

 The cervical vertebrae, which, in the old animal evidently form a 

 compact mass, are still partly free ; the first three vertebrae (in- 

 cluding the atlas) anchylosed, and of these the first two completely, 

 and of the second and third the neural arches are as yet not com- 

 pletely united into one bone. It has ten ribs." — Julius Haast. 



The animal was 30 feet 6 inches long. 



Deep velvet-black, belly greyish, tail w^ith two falcate lobes 

 61 feet broad. The pectoral fins are a little above the middle of 

 the body, 17 inches broad and 19 inches long, of a triangular form. 

 Dorsal fin small, falcate, not very far from the chin (?). *' The 

 animal has the power of protruding the four teeth at will." They 

 live on cephalopods. The stomach contained about a half-bushel of 

 the horny beaks of the Octojpus, which were nearly aU the same 

 size. It was evidently a young animal, as all the disk-like epi- 

 physes of the vertebrae are still separate, as was the case with 

 the limb-bones. 



The seven cervical vertebrae were beginning to coalesce ; the first 

 three are already anchylosed, the first two completely, and the 

 second and third only partially, as the neural arches and transverse 

 processes are not yet united in one bone. It has ten dorsal ver- 

 tebrae ; the lumbar and caudal vertebrae were not observed. (Dr. 

 Haast, Annals & Mag. Nat. Hist., Oct. 1870.) 



** Symphysis of the lower jaw to or nearly to the teeth. 



2. ZIPfllUS. 



Ziphius, Gray, I. c. pp. 327, 348 ; Synops. Whales 8f Dolph. p. 10. 

 Micropteron, Flo^ver, I. c. p. 328. 



Teeth 2, in the middle of the sides of the lower jaw. Teeth of 



