256 Miscellaneous. 



cumscribe the anterior orifice of the nostrils, which is dominated by 

 the nasal bones, also unsymmetrical, soldered together on the me- 

 dian line, and resembling in their totality a leaf of trefoil, in con- 

 sequence of the two notches which deeply divide them. The right 

 intermaxillary is considerably broader than the left one; in con- 

 sequence the nostrils are thrown down to the left. 



Between the crests of the intermaxillaries and the margins of the 

 maxillaries which are concentric with them, there exists a broad 

 fossa, which may be denominated suborbital. The skull, seen from 

 above, therefore presents three enormous excavations — namely, a 

 median or nasal one, limited externally by the intermaxillaries, and 

 two lateral or suborbital ones, limited externally by the maxillaries. 



On the lower surface of the cranium we find the intermaxillaries 

 in front forming the beak of the upper jaw, and much more deve- 

 loped than in other Cetacea. The vomer appears only as a very 

 thin lamina, placed on the median line, at a little distance from the 

 intermaxillaries. 



The posterior orifice of the nasal fossse is situated on the median 

 line, and bounded in front and laterally by broad pterygoids. 



The lateral surfaces of the cranium present a reduced orbital 

 cavity at the margin of the frontal ; posteriorly the zygomatic apo- 

 physis of the temporal does not become united to the postorbital 

 apophysis of the frontal ; in front there exists a fragment of the 

 jugal, united to the upper maxillary. The jugal apophysis is want- 

 ing, and with it the inferior boundary of the orbit. 



The maxillary passing above the orbital apophysis of the frontal, 

 causes a change in the position of the suborbital foramen, which 

 becomes supraorbital in Ziphius, as in the Cachalot. 



The temporal fossse are deep, but not broad. 



The posterior surface of the cranium is almost entirely composed 

 of the occipital bones ; it is subtriangular, terminated above by a nar- 

 rowed portion of the frontal articulated with the nasals. The occi- 

 pital foramen is situated at the lower third of its height. The 

 cerebral cavity is spacious and of considerable transverse diameter ; 

 the falx is very high. 



I cannot at present give more than these imperfect details, which 

 are the result of a first examination ; but I am struck with the 

 affinity of Ziphius to the Cachalots and Hyperoodons. It is, how- 

 ever, distinguished from them by the extreme elevation of the poste- 

 rior ascending portion of the intermaxillaries ; in the Hyperoodons, 

 on the contrary, the parts most developed are the maxillary crests. 

 Lastly, I shall call the attention of anatomists to the singular ivory- 

 like tuberosity of the vomer, the purpose of which seems very enig- 

 matical to me. 



I suppose the cranium of Arcachon to be identical with that of 

 the Galegeon, although I cannot assert this to be the case, but hope 

 to arrive at a more positive conclusion after a comparative examina- 

 tion of the two specimens. 



By this discovery we at least acquire a knowledge of an interesting 

 fact, namely the existence of living specimens of Ziphius in the 



