1883.] PROF. FLOWER ON THE DELPHINID^. 509 



in front of the blowhole. Dorsal fin low and triangular, the length 

 of its base considerably exceeding its vertical height. 



The type of this genus is G. melas, Traill, of the North Atlantic. 

 Mnch confusion exists about the otiier species, or supposed species. 

 I believe that G.melas,\\\ie Pseudorca crassit/e/is, has an exceedingly- 

 wide range, as the common " Blackfish" of the Australian seas (erro- 

 neously called G. macrorhynchus in most catalogues, as that of Hector, 

 Trans. N.-Z. Inst. vol. v. p. 164) appears not to be distinguishable 

 from it either in external or osteological characters. I have exa- 

 mined a considerable series of skeletons both from the Tasraanian 

 and New-Zealand seas, and, comparing them with specimens from 

 the Faroe Islands, can see no real difterences, allo>\ing for the regular 

 change which takes place, especially the increase of the width of 

 the rostrum, with advancing age, and probably also sexual differences 

 not yet understood. Gervais says that the southern skulls have not 

 the rugosities on the upper surface characteristic of old specimens 

 from the north ; but in a skull sent to the College of Surgeons by 

 Dr. Hector from New Zealand these are as well marked as in any that 

 I have seen. There is, however, one form readily distinguished by 

 the shape of the bones of the upper surface of the rostrum. The 

 premaxillse widen out at the middle, so that at this point, and 

 thenceforward to the apex, the maxillaries are completely covered, 

 whereas in G. melas a narrow strip of these bones is seen to form the 

 lateral part of the rostrum for its whole length. The skull which 

 presents this form, in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, 

 is the type of Gray's G. macrorhi/nchns(Zoo\. Erebus and Terror, p. 33, 

 1846). The teeth are |, and stouter than in G. melas. The specimen 

 was presented by Mr. F. D. Bennett, and is said to be from the South 

 Seas. Skulls of this form exist in many museums, and have been 

 described under different names. One is figured in Van Beneden and 

 Gervais's 'Osteographie des Cetaces,' pi. 52. fig. 3, as G. intermedius, 

 from Guadaloupe ; another is Cope's G. hrachypterus (Proc. Acad. 

 Nat. Sciences Philadelphia, 18/6, p. 129); and G. scammoni of the 

 same author, from the coast of California, judging from the photo- 

 graphs sent to the International Fisheries Exhibition, is exactly like 

 the tyjie G. tnacrurhynchus. I do not mean to impl)' that there may 

 not be other specific differences between these last, but vrith only 

 figures of the skulls to judge by, these certainly cannot be distin- 

 guished. 



The type of another of Gray's species, G. affinis, is also in the 

 Museum of the College. The teeth are ~^. It is rather narrower 

 than the others, and the premaxillse in the rostrum are more convex 

 laterally, approaching the form of Grampus, in which genus Gray at 

 one time placed it, and from which it is at once distinguished by the 

 presence of teeth in the upper jaw. It is probably only a variety of 

 G. melas. 



Delphinus intermedius, described by Harlan (Journ. Acad. Nat. 

 Sc. Philadelphia, vi. p. 51, 1829) only from the external characters, 

 is also, in all probabiUty, Globiceps melas, 



Proc. ZooL. Soc— 1883, No. XXXIV. 34 



