41 4 Bibliographical Notice. 



About a week afterwards the carcass, floated by the gases, was towed 

 into Stonehaven and thence to Dundee. 



The external characters are drawn up from views of the Whale 

 as it lay on its dorsum at Stonehaven, and an accurate series of 

 measurements is given of the various parts. The position in which 

 the author at first examined the specimen prevented him from forming 

 an accurate opinion with regard to the colour of the dorsal surface 

 of the great flipper, but it really was entirely white, as described by 

 Lilljoborg * and as stated in Bell's ' British Quadrupeds ' f . The 

 outline of the hump given by Prof. Struthers also differs from a sketch 

 made on its arrival in Dundee, in so far that the posterior border was 

 less acute distally. A more important divergence in external con- 

 figuration, however, has been made by the author in regard to the 

 tail, which, instead of having, as in his figure, a somewhat uniform 

 line of fimbria) posteriorly, presented on each side of the median 

 hiatus (which is also deeper than shown) a prominent flap with 

 four points. Thus the outline of the tail posteriorly was charac- 

 teristic. 



Amongst other interesting features described by the author are 

 the mamillary pouch containing the small mammas of the male, the 

 hairs of the muzzle, aud the whalebone. 



In the second part of the treatise the anterior limbs and the 

 rudimentary posterior limbs are elaborately examined, and con- 

 trasted with the same parts in Balcenoptera musculus, the type with 

 which the author compares throughout. The greater size of all the 

 parts in Megaptera is clearly brought out ; the proportions of the 

 hand to the arm and forearm and the elongation of the phalanges 

 being diagnostic, and fully explaining the nodulated condition of 

 the flipper of Megaptera. It is noteworthy, however, that the 

 finger-muscles are less than half the size of those of B. musculus, 

 while the tendons showed an increase. The elaborate measurements, 

 and even weights, of the various elements do credit to Dr. Struthers's 

 assiduity. The hind limb is represented by a partially ossified 

 pelvic bone supporting the crura penis, and a cartilaginous femur, 

 the functions of which latter are obscure. 



The third part treats of the vertebral column, which is charac- 

 terized by the shortness of the bodies of the vertebras when con- 

 trasted with those of other tinners. The greatest vertebral body in 

 Megaptera is the second of its 21 caudal vertebras — the 33rd of its 

 52 vertebras. A careful survey of the epiphyses, ridges, costal 

 marks, hasmal tubercles and foramina, of the neural arches and 

 canal, of the articular and other processes is given. The differences 

 also between the various parts of this species and B. musculus are 

 shown, such as the breaking up of the anterior border of the spinous 

 process in Megaptera, and a decided triangular mesial projection on 

 the posterior articular process of the last lumbar and first two 

 caudal in the same species. In regard to the transverse processes, 



* Scandinavian Cetacea, Flower, Eay Soc. p. 289 (1866). 

 | 2nd edition, London, 1874. 



