THE WHALEBONE WHALES OP THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 285 



" Dorsal fin small, conic, situated on the posterior fourth of the back. Form 

 slender ; length 70 to 90 feet. Color, above, gray or brown ; below, sulphur yellow." 



The whalebone is described as follows : 



"Baleen black everywhere. Bristles intermediate in size between those of 

 SMaldius tectirostris Cope (finer), and Megaptera osphyia (coarser), in 6 or 8 rows, 

 and 7 or 8 inches in length. Length of plate, without bristles, 2 ft. 8 inches ; 

 width of base 18 inches. Laminae with weak transverse rugosities" (29, 108). 



In the Marine Mammals, Scarnmon did not add any information of importance, 

 but changed the estimate of length from 70-90 ft. to 60-100 ft. He also in- 

 cludes the following data, furnished by Capt. Roys of the bark Iceland, of a Sulphur- 

 bottom, presumably this species, taken by him at some locality not stated : 



Length 95 ft. 



Girth 39 " 



Length of jawbone 21 ' 



Longest whalebone 4 " 



Yield of whalebone 800 Ibs. 



Yield of oil no bbls. 



From these several records, it is evident that B. sulf areas is a species allied 

 to the B. musculus of the Atlantic. If there is any real basis for separation, it 

 would appear to be in the color of the body, and possibly in the greater length of 

 the whalebone. The latter is given as 4 feet in Capt. Roys's 95 ft. Pacific speci- 

 men, while the longest Newfoundland whalebone I could find was but 32 inches 

 long, and the average only 24.7 in. It is possible of course that in the case of the 

 Pacific specimen the bristles were included. As these are 1 ft. to 18 in. long they 

 would make up a total length of 4 ft. or more. The total length of 95 feet is in 

 excess of the largest reliable measurement for B. musculus, namely, 88 ft. 6 in., 

 but taken alone this fact can not be given much weight. 



Scammon published two figures of B. sul/ureus, one a crude outline, in the 

 article edited by Cope (83, fig. 11), and the other in the Marine Mammals (82, pi. 

 13). The latter is a finely shaded figure, beautifully proportioned. If it is accu- 

 rate, B. sulfureus, we must believe, is quite different from B. musculus in color 

 and proportions. The pectoral fin is represented as very broad and blunt, with an 

 irregular anterior margin. The dorsal is very much reclined. The color is repre- 

 sented as very dark or black on the back, and white or very light on the entire 

 lower half of the body, with a quite sharp demarkation from the dark color of the 

 back. The anterior margin of the pectoral is dark. The pectoral folds are narrow 

 at the posterior end and broad at the anterior end, and reach up very close to the 

 margin of the lower lip in an absolutely regular succession. The caudal peduncle is 

 very narrow at the insertion of the flukes. 



In these particulars the figure is quite unlike B. musculus. The coloration, as 

 represented, is more like that of B. physalus. The arrangement of the folds and 

 the shape of the caudal peduncle are unlike any Finback whale with which I am 

 acquainted. Unfortunately, the figure, like all the others in the book, appears to 



