262 dr. j. haast on a new [May 5, 



sides of the roof of the mouth, provided for their reception in the 

 gums. 



However these minor deviations would not constitute such a 

 specific difference as to separate it from the Australian species did 

 not the rest of the skeleton present such marked differences. 



MacLeay states that Gray's Euphysetes has 52 vertebrae ; but I 

 find that there must be some mistake in the enumeration of the 

 different forms of vertebrae, because when added they only amount 

 to 51, viz. : — 7 cervical, 14 dorsal, 9 lumbar, 21 caudal (of which 

 13 have chevron bones attached together) ; total 51. 



The number of the vertebrae of the New-Zealand Euphysetes is 

 one less, namely 50 ; moreover they are differently arranged. Its 

 seven cervical vertebrae are soldered together and have all the 

 peculiar characteristics of the Australian species, whilst it has only 

 12 dorsal (instead of 14), 11 lumbar (instead of 9), and 20 caudals 

 with 8 chevron bones attached (instead of 2 1 ) . 



The Australian species has 14 ribs, whilst the New-Zealand species 

 has only 12, of which the first one is broad and flat and has, like the 

 second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, two articulating surfaces, whilst, 

 according to MacLeay, the Australian species has only one articu- 

 lating surface on the first rib ; the second rib still exhibits a 

 considerable breadth, whilst the succeeding ones become gradually 

 narrower ; the last six ribs, which assume a rounded shape, possess 

 only one articulating surface. 



Thus, even supposing that the minor differences in the form of the 

 skull might possibly be due to sex, the number, arrangement, and 

 form of the vertebrae and ribs alone would prove the distinct spe- 

 cific character of the New-Zealand specimen, for which, therefore, 

 I wish to propose the specific name of Euphysetes pottsii, in honour 

 of T. H. Potts, Esq., F.L.S., by whom the specimen was secured to 

 science. 



The contents of the stomach consisted of a dark slimy matter 

 from which no clue could be obtained as to the usual food of the 

 species under review ; but we may conclude, from the absence of the 

 horny beaks of Cephalopods, of which some years ago we obtained 

 nearly half a bushel in the stomach of Berardius arnouxii, that this 

 species does not feed on them ; moreover the position and smallness 

 of the mouth shows that this animal is probably a ground-feeder, 

 existing perhaps on the smaller Hydroid Zoophytes. 



Before concluding I wish to draw attention once more to the 

 remarkable asymmetry of the cranium of this new whale, which, 

 probably more than any other known catodont cetacean, shows this 

 so conspicuously. We are so accustomed to observe almost invari- 

 ably in the skeletons of the vertebrates a perfect bilateral symmetry, 

 that any deviation from this rule is generally regarded, if not as a 

 monstrosity, at least as a deformity. It is therefore very striking 

 to find, in a whole and important cetacean section, the Denticete, 

 the upper surface of the skull, with very few exceptions, unsym- 

 metrical, amongst which the family of the Catodontidae is the most 

 conspicuous. This family, amongst other characteristics, is distin- 



