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VIII. Note to Memoir on the Indian Cetacea collected by Sin Wavrnr Euiot. 
By Professor Owen, F.RS., E.Z.S., he. 
Read May 9th, 1867. 
In relation to my paper on Indian Cetacea, read before this Society on the 26th of 
June 1865, and published in the Society's ‘ Transactions’', I have received the following 
letter from Sir Walter Elliot, K.S.I., F.Z.S., to whom I was indebted for the specimens 
upon which my observations were based. 
Travellers’ Club, 15th April, 1867. 
“Dear Pror. Owen,—Soon after my arrival in town a few weeks ago, my attention 
was called to some of the details in your paper on Indian Cetacea, in the Zoological 
Society’s ‘Transactions.’ In replying to some inquiries of Mr. Flower, at the College 
of Surgeons, regarding the skull of Physeter simus, I noticed that you had described 
two individuals, a male and a female, whereas I had never met with more than a single 
female specimen of this animal. I was puzzled to account for this; but as Mr. Sclater, 
who was with me at the time, stated that the original drawings from which the Plates 
had been taken were at the Zoological Society's office, I took an early opportunity of 
referring to them. I also sent to Scotland for a note-book in which I had entered 
remarks on specimens as they were obtained. On comparing these with your paper I 
found that the inaccuracies I had observed had been caused entirely by my own careless- 
ness in furnishing you with the scanty and imperfect materials on which your paper 
was founded, and by my omission to eliminate a faulty drawing. 
“You may remember that I first brought the crania to you in 1863, to know whether 
you thought them of sufficient interest to be described. On my return to Scotland, I 
sent you drawings with some remarks of my own, but overlooked the faulty figure 
entirely, which thus remained in the packet with the true ones. In April 1865 you 
wrote to me for some further information with reference to the notes written on the 
drawings, and added that you could only find two skulls, although my notes referred 
to others. In reply I sent you copies of all the memoranda I could find, and said that 
the crania must be with you, as I had left them all at the Museum. I came to London 
some weeks later, and on calling to see you I found the crania were still missing; but 
they were subsequently discovered, and your paper was prepared. 
“To account for the origin of the erroneous figure, I must premise that the office I 
held in Madras from 1849 to 1854 was a very laborious one, demanding my whole 
1 Vol. vi. p. 17. 
