the Genera Tursiops, Orca, and Lagenorliyuchus. 18i 



not be solved until we possess authentic skeletons of these 

 nominal species, only the crania of which are known, this, as 

 we have seen, not being sufficient. The case under consider- 

 ation has, in fact, taught us that a species of Dolphin may be 

 perfectly justified as such, although we cannot indicate any 

 distinctive character in the cranium. 



II. 



Eschricht, as is well known, in his uncompleted memoir 

 upon the ' Carnivorous Cetacea,' arrived at the conclusion that 

 in the northern seas there are no fewer than three species of 

 the genus Orca. Death prevented him from proposing the 

 names that they should bear. One of them, that which evi- 

 dently has the best right to be recognized as a species distinct 

 from the type-species [0 . gladiator ^ Lac), namely, the " Bo- 

 vhidehval" of the inhabitants of the Faeroes, has since received 

 the name of Eschrichtii from M. Steenstrup. Since then the 

 question has remained in the same position. Reinhardt, who 

 also accepted it, arranged it in the Museum under the name 

 of 0. mmor^ a name which was introduced into zoological 

 literature by the late M. Malm. If we closely examine the 

 ascertained differences between Orca minor and 0. gladiator^ 

 both of which have the same very characteristic coloration, 

 these differences (leaving out of consideration the supposition 

 that the dorsal fin must always be higher in the old male 

 0. gladiator) become reduced to this, that 0. gladiator has 

 54 vertebrse and 12 pairs of ribs, while 0. minor has respec- 

 tively only 52 and 11. This is certainly not much, and there- 

 fore we need not be greatly surprised that this distinction has 

 not been generally adopted by cetologists. Moreover, it must 

 be admitted that scarcely any two authors agree as to their 

 mode of regarding the supposed species of this genus, so that 

 in taking for our guidance the opinions of cetologists, and the 

 manner in which they arrange the different forms, we get lost 

 in an inextricable confusion. Here, however, I have been 

 able to introduce into the discussion some new materials which 

 have led me to a definite opinion as to the species called 0. 

 minor. In September 1872 a family of three Grampuses 

 was captured in the Limfjord, and of these the skeletons were 

 acquired by the Museum, while the opportunity was taken to 

 make a very good drawing of the adult female. The skeleton 

 of the male, which was a little smaller than that of the female, 

 was handed over by my predecessor to the Berlin Museum, 

 but the other two, those of the female and of a young individual, 

 have remained here, and some time since received a place in 

 uur Cetaccum. Keinhardt had referred them to 0. minor ^ but 



