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The carpal bones are six in number. Five of tliem are of 

 rounded irregular shape, and ai-e placed in a transverse row, one 

 opposite to each finger. The sixth is a thin linear flat trans- 

 verse bone, placed close to the radius, between it and the carpal 

 bone of the thumb ; so that the thumb may be considered as 

 having two carpal bones. The largest carpal bone is about two 

 inches in diameter. There is considerable discrepancy liere 

 between the description of Beale and mine as just given; 

 but the true placing of the carpal and metacarpal bones, rudi- 

 mentary as they are in Cttacea, and separately imbedded in 

 cartilage, is a subject of considerable difiBculty, unless drawings 

 of them have been made in situ. My drawing of these bones 

 was made on the spot, before they were separated from the 

 cartilage in which they were embedded. If Beale be right, his 

 whale has seven square carpal bones, but it is possible that by 

 mistake he has included the first metacarpal bone of the thumb, 

 among the carpal bones. Cuvier never saw either the carpal or 

 metacarpal bones, or the phalanges of his specimens of sperm 

 whales. The dimensions of our carpal bones are as follows : — 



First carpal bone of thumb, 

 Ditto ditto, 



Second carpal bone of thumb, 

 Ditto ditto. 



Carpal bone of forefinger. 

 Ditto ditto. 



Carpal bone of middle finger, 

 Ditto ditto, 



Carpal bone of fourth finger. 

 Ditto ditto, 



Carpal bone of little finger, 

 Ditto ditto, 



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