THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 173 



No. 14. -Female. Dorsal high and narrow, strongly recurved, and deeply 

 concave posteriorly. (Text fig. 37.) 



No. 15. Male. Dorsal small, sharp-pointed, and strongly reclined. 



No. 20. Female. Dorsal falcate. 



No. 22. Female. Dorsal moderately recurved ; tip regularly rounded ; pos- 

 terior margin moderately concave, with a small semicircular piece wanting near the 

 middle. (Text fig. 38.) 



No. 24. Female. Dorsal very strongly recurved, long, and low ; the tip 

 acuminate, and posterior margin very concave. 



No. 25. Female. Dorsal erect, triangular, and sharp-pointed; posterior 

 margin straight. 



Sars's remark, that in size the dorsal fin of the " Blaahval " varies considerably 

 but does not reach that found in other Finbacks, is probably not strictly correct as 

 regards European B. musculus generally, and is not applicable to the Newfound- 

 land Sulphurbottoms. In the latter, according to my own observations, the largest 

 dorsal had an actual vertical height of 15^ inches, while 14 inches was the height of 

 the smallest dorsal found in a Newfoundland B. physalm. The latter individual 

 was, however, but 59 ft. 1 in. long, while the Sulphurbottom was 66 ft. 6 in. long, 

 so that the fin though actually larger in the B. musculus was proportionally larger 

 in the B. pkysalus. 



The greatest proportional height of dorsal in the Newfoundland Sulphurbot- 

 toms was 1.9 % of the total length, while the least proportional height in New- 

 foundland B. pTiysalus was 2.0 %. The extremes in the two species, therefore, 

 tend to approach each other quite closely. On the other hand, it should be re- 

 membered that the average proportional height of the dorsal in 21 Newfoundland 

 Sulphurbottoms was 1.1 %, while the average in 11 Newfoundland B. pTiysalus 

 was 2.4 %. 



PECTORAL FINS. 



Regarding the pectoral fins of European B. musculus, Sars remarks as fol- 

 lows (75, 236) : 



" The outer parts, or hands, are considerably more elongated than in the Com- 

 mon Finbacks and the whole pectoral fin more strongly curved, so that the lower 

 convex margin is more distinctly arched, while the upper sharp border, which in 

 the Common Finbacks has in the middle a more or less distinct angular projection, 

 shows a more even curve. The breadth of the pectoral fins is about one quarter 

 the length. For the rest, these organs appear to be subject to endless variations 

 in different individuals, both in size and form, which, however, are confined within 

 quite narrow limits. Very often I have found that they showed at the outer angle, 

 near the tip, one or more deep angular emargiuations, which always corresponded to 

 the interval between the fingers, though I was not able to see any distinct trace of 

 an external lesion." 



These remarks apply equally well to the Newfoundland Sulphurbottoms, as 

 will be seen by comparing the plates, and especially pis. 21 and 13, except that 



