THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 41 



else of interest in the present connection. The various editions of the Systema 

 after the twelfth, published in German, Dutch, English, etc., contain no original 

 American matter on cetaceans, and, except Gmelin's (1788), no improvements as 

 regards classification. 



The earliest is Houttuyn's Dutch translation (1762), which appears to have no 

 original information. All the baleen whales remain together under the head of 

 BalwncB. The Linnsean species mysticetus, physalus, boops, and musculus, are de- 

 scribed and commented on under their Latin names, after which occurs the "Neiuw 

 Engelandsche Penvisch" and the " Knobbel Visch." These are Dudley's Hump- 

 back and Scrag whales, but our author obtains his knowledge of them through 

 Brisson and Anderson. Farther on we come upon Acosta's fable of the Indians 

 killing whales by plugging their blowholes, which is inserted without comment or 

 indication of its origin. 1 



The only American references in Boddaert's edition (1772), are as follows: 

 " Vinvisch " (a) with two blowholes, and a knob on the back. Lives in New Eng- 

 land. " Knobbelvisch " (b) whale, with two blowholes and six knobs on the back. 

 These are, of course, Dudley's Humpback and Scrag whales. 2 



In 1773 Miiller published an annotated edition of the Systema, based on the 

 twelfth edition and the work of Houttuyn. He has the four Linnsean species of 

 whalebone whales, all in the genus JSalcena, and adds three others (withoxit Latin 

 names) which he found in later authors. Two of these are Dudley's Humpback 

 and Scrag whales, under the names of " Pflockfish " and " Knotenfish," which Miiller 

 doubtless knew only indirectly through Anderson, or some other writer. 3 



Gmelin's edition of 1788, or the thirteenth Latin edition, is considerably fuller 

 than the tenth or twelfth, but contains only one added species of whalebone whale, 

 Jjalcena gibbosa. This is made up of Dudley's Scrag whale and Humpback 

 combined, though all the references are at second hand. The two forms are 

 designated as a. and b., but not named as varieties. It is an interesting question 

 whether the name gibbosa can be applied to the Humpback. Another nominal 

 species included with the baleen whales is the Balwna rostrata of Miiller's Prodro- 

 mus. This is, however, probably the Hyperoodon? The Nordcaper is included 

 as " b," under Balasna mysticetus, but without a Latin varietal name ; and Egede, 

 Anderson, and Cranz are quoted in the synonymy. 5 



In 1800 William Turton published an English translation of the Systema from 

 Gmelin's edition of 1788. Only two baleen whales have American habitats assigned 

 to them, B. physalus (" Fin-fish "), which inhabits " the American and European 

 seas " ; and B. gibbosa. This latter is called " Hump whale " by Tin-ton and 

 is said to inhabit the "coasts of New England." It is made by uniting Dudley's 



'HOUTTUYN, F., Natuurlyke Historie volgens Linnaeus, i, pt. 3, 1762, pp. 441-500. 

 "BODDAERT, P., Kortbegrip van het zamenstel der Natuur, van den Heer C. Linnaeus, i, pt. i, 

 1772, P- 93- 



1 MULLER, P. L. S., Des Ritters Carl von Linne vollstandiges Natursystem, i, 1773, 



P- 493- 



' See Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 21, 1898, p. 633. 



6 GMELIN, J. F., Systema Naturae, i3th ed., Leipzig, i, 1788, pp. 223-226. 



