258 Fossil Bones found in Vermont. 
each other—a, as viewed from above—6, as seen laterally.— 
[The fraction after the No. of the figure, denotes the linear pro- 
portion of the figure to the object which it represents. 
But, if there had still remained any doubt with regard to the 
general character of the animal, it would have been entirely re- 
moved, when I succeeded afterwards in reconstructing out of the 
fragments of bones which I had procured, so much of the upper 
anterior portion of the head, as to exhibit distinctly its spiracles, 
or blow-holes, showing unequivocally that it belonged to the 
Whale family. My next object was to ascertain, if possible, 
whether it belonged to an extinct, or to a living species or genus 
of this family. By a careful examination of Cuvier’s great work 
on Fossil Bones, I became satisfied that, in the osteology of the 
ead, it bore a strong resemblance to a small arctic cetacean, 
called the Beluga, or white whale, ( Delphinus leucas, Cuv. Oss. 
Foss., v, p. 297, pl. xxii, fig. 5 and 6, Paris ed., 1825,) and that 
it therefore belonged rather to the living than to the éxtinct 
types; and this opinion was confirmed by Prof. Agassiz, to whose 
unrivaled skill and kind assistance in the investigation of these 
fossils I am deeply indebted. 
The head of the skeleton, as already remarked, was broken 
into a great number of pieces, but enough of these have been 
recovered and matched to determine very nearly the form and 
entire length of the head and of one side of the lower jaw, an 
of its symphysis with the other side. The fragments of the an- 
terior portion of the upper jaw were found and matched, with the 
exception of so much of the maxillary bone as formed the alveo- 
Jar margin of the left side. The alveolar margin on the right 
side measures 6°85 inches in length and contains eight alveoli. 
In the corresponding side of the lower jaw there are seven alveoli 
in a length of 5:5 inches, the alveolar margin extending three 
inches farther backward, but not perforated for teeth. Fig. 2 rep- 
resents the head, viewed from above, so far as reconstructed, 
and fig. 3, a side view with the lower jaw dropped a little below 
its true place. 
It appears, from what has been said above, that the animal had 
seven teeth in the lower jaw and eight in the upper, on each side, 
making thirty teeth in the whole. The teeth are all of one kind, 
being conical with flat or rounded crowns, and their substance 1s 
very dense and firm. They vary in length from one to nearly 
two inches, with a diameter of about half an inch. Fig. 4 rep- 
resents their different forms. Only nine of the teeth have been 
recovered, and none of these were in their places in the Jaws 
when I obtained them; but that they were in their places up t© 
the time the bones were first discovered by the workmen, appears 
evident from the fact, that, while every other cavity in the bones 
was filled with clay, the alveoli were all empty. 
