THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 289 



to the former the baleen is "light yellow," while Scammon gives the color as 

 "light brown." Van Beneden states that the baleen in the Vienna museum is pale 

 in color like that of B. acuto-rostrata. Dall's sketch, according to Cope, showed 

 the pectoral rounded at the tip, while Scammon states that it is pointed. Pechuel 

 (73, 1186) described the color of this whale as variegated gray, remarking that 

 " many are entirely blotched ; individuals entirely dark-colored are rarely seen." 

 Pechuel's figure is very different from Scammon's, having a much rounder and 

 thicker head, and no irregularities on the median line of the back, and no furrows 

 on the throat. It is rather a crude figure, though interesting in many particulars. 



Townsend's figure of a foetal specimen 17 ft. long, published in 1886 (90) 

 shows a distinct crest on the back, extending from the flukes nearly half-way to 

 the head. The free margin is irregular in outline. Townsend remarks regarding 

 it : " The young HhacManectes just before birth has a narrow, irregular longitudi- 

 nal ridge along the posterior part of the back, which. I did not observe in the 

 adult. It extends from about opposite the vent to the flukes and is interrupted in 

 many places. This ridge probably corresponds to the series of transverse ridges 

 along the back of the adult as described by Scammon." 



It is somewhat remarkable that the ridge was not seen in the adult. It is 

 interesting to note that the Japanese, who appear to know this whale under the 

 name of Kokujira, recognize two forms, one of which has the crenate ridge on the 

 back, while the other has not. 1 Scammon's statement that the ridges are trans- 

 verse is extremely interesting, and this character deserves further investigation, as it 

 is quite unlike anything found in other whales. 



The two characteristic throat furrows are shown in Townsend's figure. 



SIZE. 



Ball calculated the length of the two specimens examined by him at Monterey at 

 51 ft. and 48 ft. respectively; the latter a male. Scammon gave the length of the 

 females as from 40 to 44 ft., but remarked that the latter would be considered large ; 

 for the males he places the average at 35 ft., but states that they vary more in size 

 than the females. In 1873, he gave measurements of a male 42 ft. long and stated 

 that four other individuals were measured, ranging from 35 to 40 ft. A young 

 male measured by Pechuel was 32 ft. long. Townsend in 1886 (90) published, as 

 already mentioned, a figure of a foetal specimen 17 ft. long, from a female "nearly 

 40 feet long." It would seem that one or the other of these measurements must be 

 incorrect. The dimensions of different specimens are given by Scammon, Dall, and 

 Pechuel, as follows : 



1 See MOBIUS, Ueber den Fang und die Verwerthung der Walfische in Japan. Beilage zu den 

 Mitth. Sekt. Kusten- und Hochsee- Fischer ei, No. 7, July, 1894. 



