90 THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 



5. BAL^ENOPTERA VELIFERA Cope. 1869. 



" The Firmer Whale of the Oregon Coasts." 



Original description: Proceedings, Academy of Natural Sciences, Phila., 1869, 

 p. 16. Presented for publication March 9, 1869; published July 20, 1869. 



Type-locality : Oregon Coasts. No type. Described from Scaramon's obser- 

 vations and sketches. A northern and a southern form mentioned, but not de- 

 scribed, or named. 



The original description is as follows : 



" The Finner Whale of the Oregon coasts. 



"This species differs from all that have been described in that respect, in the 

 color of the baleen ; from the B. arctica of the Japanese Seas, the coloration of the 

 body separates it ; in the latter the sides are spotted black and white, in the pres- 

 ent shaded from the brown of the upper to the white of the lower surfaces. The 

 large size of the dorsal fin and its anterior position are marked characters ; the 

 northern species, with larger fin, is still more different from the JB. arctica, the only 

 one with which it would be probably identical. 



"The more southern form, with very small fin, may be another species pos- 

 sibly a Sibbaldius. The B. velifera cannot, unfortunately, be compared with the 

 B. swinhoei andJB.patachonica, as no similar parts are figured or described. 



" The baleen, says Capt. Scammon, is of a light lead color, streaked with black, 

 and its surface is marked with transverse roughening. In the B. physalus the 

 whalebone is, according to Gray, slate-colored on the inner side, white streaked ; on 

 the outer side nearly black, and with still darker streaks. In the B. rostrata it is 

 nearly all white, with some black at the base." (83, 16.) 



In the list of cetacea by Mr. Win. H. Dall, which is appended to Scammon's 

 work (83, 303), it is stated that baleen of B. velifera is in the museum of the 

 Smithsonian Institution. I regret that I am unable to find any such specimens, or 

 record of their receipt, though there are many specimens of whalebone of other 

 species, received from Scammon. 



6. SlBBALDITTS SULFUREU8 Cope. 1869. 



"The Sulphurbottom of the Northwest Coast." 



Original description: Proceedings, Academy of Natural Sciences, Phila., 1869, 

 p. 20. Presented for publication March 9, 1869 ; published July 20, 1869. 

 No type. Described from data furnished by Scammon, as follows : 



" The Sulphur-Bottom of the North West Coast. This immense whale is as yet 

 too insufficiently known to be distinguished as fully as desirable, but the marked 

 peculiarity of coloration separates it from the only species with which a comparison 

 is necessary the S. borealis or gigas of the North Atlantic. Capt. Scammon de- 

 scribes it to be gray or brown above, paler than in JBaloenoptera velifera, and be- 

 neath, a sulphur yellow. Length from 70 to 90 feet. The colors of the S. borealis 

 are described as polished black above, milky white beneath, by Dubar." 



