TOOTHED WHALES. 31 



teeth, more especially in the males, sometimes attaining very large dimensions. 

 The muzzle is produced into a longer or shorter beak or rostrum, behind which there 

 is a marked and sudden elevation caused by the presence of a fatty cushion on the 

 top of the head in front of the blowhole ; the latter having a crescent-like form, 

 and being situated in the middle line. With the exception of one species, the 

 whales of this group are characterised by the (premaxillary) bones situated in the 

 skull behind the opening of the nostrils being raised into a pair of crests over- 

 hanging the latter ; these two crests, as shown in the accompanying figure, being 

 unsymmetrically disposed, and one larger than the other. All the memberr; 

 of the group agree in having a curved back-fin, placed considerably behind the 

 middle of the body; and they also display the common feature of possessing 

 flutings in the skin of the throat, which are close together in front and diverge as 

 they pass backwards. 



Like the sperm-whales, the members of this group are inhabitants 

 of the open sea, and feed almost entirely upon squids and cuttles. 

 Except the bottlenose, most of them are known mainly by stranded specimens ; and 

 when any of these whales approach the shore, they seem to have no idea of saving 

 themselves, but are almost invariably stranded. In this respect they resemble the 

 sperm-whales ; and it would thus seem that whales accustomed to live in the open 

 seas and to seek their food at considerable depths, become confused and help- 

 less when they reach the neighbourhood of a coast. Most of them go about 

 in pairs or alone; but the bottlenose frequently associates in schools ot 

 considerable size. 



Characters of The bottlenose derives its name from the elevation ot the upper 



Bottlenose. surface of the head above the rather short beak and in front of the 

 blowhole into a rounded abrupt prominence. The lower jaw has merely a pair of 

 small conical teeth at the extremity, which in the living state are totally concealed 

 by the gum. In the skull the crests behind the aperture of the nostrils are greatly 

 developed ; and in addition to these there are a pair of longitudinal bony crests lying 

 on either side of the base of the beak, which in old males becomes of great size, 

 with their front surfaces broad and flat. This excessive development of the crests 

 in the adult males produces a great difference in the appearance of the two sexes 

 when adult ; the females (like the young) having the beak distinctly projecting, 

 whereas in the males it is almost buried beneath the elevated and flattened surface 

 of the upper part of the head, which has a disc-like form when seen from in front. 

 The flukes are not notched. In length the male bottlenose may reach as much as 

 30 feet, but the female does not exceed 24 feet. The young individuals are black 

 above, but with advancing age they gradually pass to a light brown tint; the 

 under-parts being greyish white. Very old individuals turn almost yellow, with a 

 white band round the neck, and the front of the head and beak also white. 

 Distribution and The bottlenose is a migratory species, confined to the North 

 Habits. Atlantic. During the summer it ranges as far northwards as Spitz- 

 bergen, but how far southward it travels in winter is not yet ascertained. In the 

 early autumn some specimens are usually stranded on the coasts of Britain, and 

 the countries bordering the British Channel and North Sea ; but none are recorded 

 from the shores of Spain, Western France, or the Mediterranean countries. The 



