Specitncn of Sowerhy''s Whale. 2Sl 



Adult. Fcetus. 



feet. in. feet. in. 

 Length of upper border of pectoral fin 



(measured along curve) 1 5| 8 



Length of grooves beneath lower jaw . . llf 



Distance between front ends of tlie above 



grooves ^ 



Distance between hind ends of the above 



grooves ^\ 



Greatest dorso-yentral diameter (2 feet 



8 inches in front of dorsal fin) 3 5 



Of tlie general history of the Ziphioid whales Sir W. H. 

 Flower has given an admirable summary in his paper " On 

 the Recent Ziphioid Whales," which will be found published 

 in the ' Transactions of the Zoological Society of London,' 

 vol. viii. p. 203 (1871), and " A Further Contribution to the 

 Knowledge of the existing Ziphioid Whales : Genus Meso- 

 ylodon^'' which appeared in the same publication, vol. x. 

 p. 415, in 1877 : and of the anatomy and, to some extent, of 

 the external a])pearance Sir William Turner has contributed 

 most valuable papers, which have appeared from time to time 

 in the ' Journal of Anatwny and Physiology ; ' but unfortu- 

 nately the specimens which came under the notice of this 

 excellent anatomist have never been in such a condition as to 

 enable him to give the exhaustive description of the exterior 

 appearance of the animal which we should certainly have 

 received had the material been at his disposal. 



The same may be said to a greater or less degree of the 

 continental naturalists, and Sovverby's type specimen was 

 described by him at second hand ; the two 13andon specimens 

 also were so mutilated as to be of little service to science. It 

 thus happens that the skeleton and soft parts of this species 

 are better known than its external appearance. This defi- 

 ciency we have endeavoured, so far as the Overstrand 

 example is concerned, to supply ; but, as so many discrep- 

 ancies are noticeable between our observations and those 

 which have previously appeared, we venture to append some 

 observations on the published descriptions and original figures 

 of this singular animal. How far these discrepancies may be 

 due to differences of age and sex we have not sufficient 

 evidence to venture an opinion. 



SowERBY, James. ' The British Miscellany,' 1804-180(j, vol. i. pi. i. 

 Pliysettr hiclcns S , Elginshire. — The figure in outline closely 

 resembles the Overstrand specimen, the general shape of the 

 body ])eing almost identical, but the head is relatively shorter 



