332 MR. W. H. FLOWER ON THE OSTEOLOGY OF THE SPERM-WHALE. 
The remaining six cervical vertebre are completely soldered together, both by their 
bodies and their neural spines, into one mass. Their individuality can be traced 
distinctly enough at the root of the neural arches, where, for a short space, they are 
separated to admit of the passage of the cervical nerves; but their conjoined spines 
present a solid mass in which no trace can be detected of separate vertebral elements ; 
and their bodies are almost as completely fused together, slight grooves and rows of 
foramina for blood-vessels on the lateral parts faintly indicating the limits of the several 
component vertebre. ‘The union of the seventh to the antecedent vertebre is more 
complete than in any other known Cetacean; for even in the Hyperoodon the whole 
of its neural arch is free. To this mass, in the Tasmanian specimen, the first dorsal 
vertebra is partially united by its centrum only. 
The most remarkable characteristic of these vertebre taken together is their extreme 
antero-posterior compression, the four middle bones being most affected. ‘The greatest 
length, the lateral part of the conjoined bodies, is 9; and the whole group will lie between 
two parallel planes no greater distance apart. The conjoined centrums are somewhat 
flattened from above downwards, and very broad from side to side at the anterior end, 
but less so posteriorly. 
Anterior surface of second cervical vertebra. 
The anterior surface is, in the main, flat. Its median portion, 8” broad, is irregular, 
rough, and slightly raised; in the centre of this is a ridge-like prominence, placed with 
its longest diameter vertically, and raised not more than {” above the surrounding 
bone; this represents the odontoid process. The lower edge is smoothly hollowed 
out in the middle to receive the process on the contiguous portion of the atlas. 
On each side of this hollow and of the median rough surface are the comparatively 
smooth, slightly depressed, and nearly flat articular facets for the atlas, of an irre- 
gularly quadrilateral figure, each measuring 10” in height, and 8” in width. They 
extend quite to the lower edge of the bone. Beyond these externally are the flat 
anterior surfaces of the broad, obtusely pointed, transverse processes, projecting 5” from 
