182 Dr. C. Liit ken on the Vaagmcer and 



received a drawing of the animal * made before it had suf- 

 fered all this damage, and while it was still almost uninjured. 

 As so much uncertainty still prevails with regard to the species 

 of Regalecus 9 and especially the northern species, of which no 

 fewer than three have been established, even this example and 

 the illustrations of it now before us are of importance towards 

 the knowledge of the structure of the genus and the species, 

 and in the discussion of the specific identity or distinctness of 

 the specimens which are stranded from time to time on the 

 Norwegian or English coasts. In all, so far as they have 

 been recorded, there have been about 30 in 140 years, or one 

 every fourth or fifth year. As in my detailed memoir I have 

 discussed this matter from different points of view, I shall 

 refer to it, and confine myself here to a few brief remarks. 

 The specimen from the Fseroes was nearly 12^ feet long; its 

 greatest elevation a little before the anus 1 foot ; length of 

 the head about f foot ; distance from the anterior extremity 



of the head to the anus hardly 5 feet, or f of the total length. 

 The posterior or caudal extremity was obliquely truncated and 

 without any fin ; the ventral fins were represented by two 

 long nearly glassy rays with a rhombic cross section, the 

 length of which, according to the drawing, was 3| feet, or 

 about -fa of the total length. In the true dorsal fin there were 

 256 rays ; but immediately in front of it there were two high 

 and pointed nuchal fins, the total number of rays in which 

 cannot be stated exactly (there seem to be 11, but may be 

 more). While the ventral fin-rays, according to the drawing, 

 were membranously dilated at the end ; this is not the case 

 with any of the nuchal fins, although, according to other 

 figures of Regaled, it might be supposed that at least the 

 hindmost nuchal fin-rays were thus completed. Every thing 

 indicates so complete an agreement with the "Regalecus 

 Banksii" captured in 1849 on the English coast, which is of 

 all specimens the one that has been most perfectly investi- 

 gated and described and the best figured, that there can be no 

 doubt of its specific identity with that fish. It is probably of 

 little consequence that there is nothing to indicate that the 

 fish from the Fseroes had the oblique black streaks which are 

 seen in the figures in the u Annals and Magazine of Natural 

 History, 1849 " — with respect to which it must also be remem- 

 bered that in them the nuchal fins are restored according to the 

 statements of the fishermen, and therefore not exactly repro- 

 duced, any more than the figures in other works founded upon 



* A photo.xjlographic reproduction of this drawing is given in my de- 

 tailed memoir, p. 209. 



