458 DR. J. V. HAAST ON oulodon. [May 16, 



As I was fortunate enough to obtain two of these skeletons com- 

 plete, I shall be able to send one of them to my friend Prof. W. H. 

 Flower as a type specimen, and for description ; and I therefore 

 leave the osteological details to him. Although the bones are not 

 yet quite macerated, I may state that the female, exceeding by nearly 

 4 feet the largest male obtained, is a full-grown animal, whilst 

 the three males are all immature specimens. 1 measured the length 

 of its lower jaw, and find that it is 2 feet 8 50 inches long, conse- 

 quently nearly 1 inch longer than the lower jaw of the dried skull 

 which I assigned to a full-grown female, and to which it bears a close 

 resemblance. The mandibular tooth could scarcely be felt when 

 passing the finger over the gums of this specimen ; and its existence 

 could scarcely have been ascertained in that way had I not known 

 its exact position. 



On the other hand, in all the three male skulls the point of the 

 mandibular tooth protruded already, even in the smallest, through 

 the gums, and the more laterally extended size of that portion of the 

 lower jaw was at once discernible. I measured also the lower jaw of 

 the male skull (B), and found it to be 1 foot 11-85 inches long; 

 consequently its size is intermediate between the two Chatham- 

 Island skulls no. ii., of which the lower jaw measures 2 feet 6 03 

 inches, and of the immature no. hi., which is only 1 foot 7'75 inches 

 long. 



All the four skulls possess from seventeen to nineteen teeth on both 

 sides of the roof of the mouth ; so that this character can now be 

 claimed as being constant and specific. 



As to the external features of this species, its form may be de- 

 scribed as being rather elegant ; the head is tapering ; and the beak- 

 like rostrum runs out to a point, so that it was not inappropriately 

 compared by one of the workmen to the beak of a bird. 



The colour of the back is black, getting a little lighter near the 

 tail, where it assumes a dark slate tint ; the lower side is reddish 

 brown, near the tail assuming on both sides a more blackish hue. 



The blowhole is situated in the centre ; it is about 6 inches in 

 diameter, and the corners are directed forward. The animal possesses 

 a large falcate dorsal fin, situated rather backwards; and the pectoral 

 fins are small and somewhat pointed. 



The following measurements were taken from the immature male 

 (C) : — Total length 13 feet 8 inches; girth round body 18 inches 

 behind pectoral fins, where the animal has its largest size, 9 feet ; 

 from point of rostrum to anterior border of pectoral fin, 3 feet 5 

 inches ; from posterior end of dorsal fin to centre of tail-lobes, 4 feet 

 3 inches. 



