THE FINWHALE fishery OF PINMARK. 433 



The dorsal fin springs from a small hump on the back ; Lilljeborg 

 (Eecent Mem. Cetacea, Eay Soc), p. 289, thvis describes it : — 



" The dorsal fin has rather a long base, but is very low, 



and in old specimens has the appearance of a hump, having 

 thereby given rise to one of the names of the animal." The 

 measurement which I took of the height of the fin (9 in.) was 

 independent of the base. The baleen is quite short, and entirely 

 black, the fringes or hairs on the inner edge being of a lighter 

 tint than the faded brown of the under side of a Hedgehog. 

 The tongue is very soft and flaccid, attached throughout its 

 length, and black in colour. The palate between the rows of 

 baleen is flesh-coloured, and convex downwards instead of con- 

 cave, as in most animals. When the skin and blubber had been 

 removed the pelvic bone could be felt, slightly forward of the 

 centre between the penis and the anus, and probably at least two 

 feet from the median line in the specimen about forty feet long. 



A skeleton of this species prepared by Dr. Guldberg, and lying 

 at the time of my visit on the quay, ready for shipment, has an 

 exostosis or enlargement of the bone on the middle of the under 

 surface of the right maxilla. There is a large projection on the 

 central line of the under side in this species, about midway 

 between the anus and the flukes. There are two transverse 

 creases or folds of the skin about two feet respectively in front of 

 and behind the anus, dividing the median line of the under side. 



A foetus, from a whale killed about August 21st, I brought 

 home and gave to Prof. Flower for the Museum of the College of 

 Surgeons. It measured 34f in. Girth behind flipper, 21 in. ; 

 length of flipper, 9J in. ; breadth of flipper to largest projection 

 on anterior edge, 2J in. ; breadth of flukes, 8| in. It was flesh- 

 coloured, and its eyes were open. 



Doubtless everyone who has seen a dead whale ashore 

 has noticed its greatly inflated condition, and probably put it 

 down to putrefaction ; but in the only case that came under my 

 observation, viz., the example of this species which I saw killed, 

 swelling began almost immediately after death — that is to say, 

 it was perceptible after the lapse of about an hour, and the 

 inflation steadily increased, the belly gradually rising more clear 

 of the wash of the sea. Another individual of this species which 

 I saw being towed in the offing by a whaler who had picked it up 

 floating at sea, and which had probably been dead some days, 



