the Neio-Zealand Pike Whale. 449 



It proves to be a species of the Pike Whale {Balcenoptera) j 

 the Australian representative of the Pike Whale of Northern 

 Europe, but perfectly distinct from it, and probably smaller 

 than the European species ; for though the skeleton is that of 

 a young whale, the bones of the specimen sent are generally 

 well knit, the epiphyses of only a few of the cei-vical vertebrae 

 are free ; the lateral wings of the atlas and the edge of the 

 scapula are imperfectly developed. It differs from the Euro- 

 pean species in the larger size of the head, the fewer vertebree, 

 and the longer fingers compared with the length of the fore- 

 arm. 



Professor Hutton gave the name oi Phy solus antarcticusj 

 Gray, to this species, thereby intending the Balcenoptera ant- 

 arctica mentioned by me in the ' Zoology of the Erebus and 

 Terror,' p. 51, and founded on some yellowish-white Finner- 

 baleen imported from New Zealand. But this baleen must come 

 from a very much larger species of ti'ue Finner ; for it is much 

 broader compared with its length. The New-Zealand Finner 

 is not to be confounded with the Balcenoptera antarctica^ 

 Van Beneden (Osteog. Get. p. 234), which name he gave 

 to the gigantic Sibhaldius antarcticus described by Bur- 

 meister from Buenos Ayres (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, p. 713, 

 figs. 1 & 2 ; Gray, Cat. Seals and Whales, p. 381, fig. 87), 

 which Malm has named Physalus antarcticus. The bladebone 

 of this species is 6 feet broad and 3 feet high. The bladebone 

 of the Otago Pike Whale is only 15 inches broad and 9 inches 

 high ; and it differs from that figured by BuiTneister not 

 only in size, but in the glenoid being much more oblong, 

 and in the shape and direction of the coracoid and glenoid 

 processes. 



It is necessary to refer this species to the genus Bakenoptera 

 and give it a new specific name, as Balcenoptera antarctica is 

 already used by Van Beneden. I therefore propose to call it 

 Balwnoptera Huttoni, 



The genus Balmnoptera may be divided into two sections, 

 thus: — 



* Balmnoptera. Vertebrae fifty; cervical vertebrje some- 

 times ankylosed, with the neural canal broad, trigonal ; 

 fingers scarcely the length of the forearm-bone. B. 

 rostrata : northern seas. 



** DACTYLiENA. Vertebrae forty-eight ; cervical vertebrae 

 quite free, with the neural canal broad, oblong, low ; 

 fingers the length of the forearm-bone. B. (Z>.) Uuttoni : 

 Antarctic seas. 



