396 MR. W.H. FLOWER ON THE SKELETONS OF WHALES [Noy. §, 
adult and a nearly complete skeleton of a young individual, both ob- 
tained from the Cape of Good Hope by Dr. Horstok. These are 
briefly described by Schlegel in his ‘ Abhandlungen aus dem Gebiete 
der Zoologie, &c.’ (Leiden, 1841), part.1, p. 37. 
The skull is 13! 5" in extreme length. To any one accustomed 
to the appearance of the skull of the adult B. mysticetus, the dif- 
ferential characters exhibited by this specimen are very striking. 
The size is much inferior, both absolutely and as compared with that 
of the body of the animal. Its general contour is less regularly 
arched, as it rises abruptly in the occipital region to a very prominent 
and rounded eminence at the junction of the supraoccipital, frontal, 
and nasal bones, and then slopes gradually down to the apex of the 
beak. The articular processes of the squamosals are broader and 
less elongated. The supraorbital processes of the frontal are, as 
noticed by Schlegel, directed more horizontally outwards, shorter, 
and very much stouter, especially at the extremity. The orbital 
processes of the maxillary are also stouter. One of the most marked 
differences from B. mysticetus, and one which I have not before 
seen noticed, is the great breadth and comparative shortness of the 
nasal bones (fig. 2), and consequent great width of the posterior 
margin of the nasal aperture. The part of the upper surface of the 
two nasal bones uncovered by the frontal is 133’ broad and 11" 
long; in a skull of B. mysticetus, 17' in length, they are but 7" 
broad and 11" long. The malar, lachrymal, and tympanic bones are 
absent from this skull. 
The skeleton is that of a young animal; the epiphyses of all the 
vertebrae and of both ends of the humerus, radius, and ulna are not 
united. It wants the lachrymals, malars, sternum, hyoid and pelvic 
bones. The entire length is 31! 4", of which the head occupies 7!. 
The total number of the vertebree is fifty-six; and one, or perhaps 
two, may be wanting from the end of the tail. The first five of the 
cervical vertebree are united together; the bodies of the other two 
are greatly compressed and close together, but not ankylosed. There 
are fifteen pairs of ribs. The first, as described by Schlegel, is of very 
singular shape, being divided at the upper end for a distance of 6" 
into two broad flat heads, anterior and posterior, and widening ex- 
ceedingly at the lower end, in the middle of the border of which isa 
deep notch. It is 34" in length, measured in a straight line, 4" in 
breadth at the middle, and 123" at the lower end. The two divisions 
of the upper end are attached to the transverse processes of the first 
and second dorsal vertebree, which disposition induced Schlegel to 
assign sixteen dorsal vertebree to this specimen ; but this is probably 
an error of the articulator, as in the Fin-Whales with double 
heads to the first rib, these are connected with the seventh cervical 
and first dorsal vertebree ; and in B. mysticetus the head of the first 
rib is placed altogether in front of the transverse process of the first 
dorsal vertebra, being intimately connected with the seventh cervical. 
The second rib is very thick and broad at the lower end. The 
last rib is much shorter and more slender than the others. There 
are nine chevron boues present. The scapula is 26" broad and 24" 
