

the Her ring -king* 183 



that of Hancock and Embleton. There is certainly no reason 

 to doubt that it is upon specimens of the same species that most 

 of the other statements concerning similar fishes on the 

 English coasts, and also of late upon those of Norway, are 

 founded ; small variations in the number of dorsal rays (e. q. 

 303, 279) cannot justify such doubts. Doubt first arises with 

 regard to the so-called "Regalecus Grittii" Lindroth (Svenska 

 Akad. Skrifter, Bind xix. 1798), which united with a colossal 

 size (18 feet), and a relatively considerable length of the part 

 of the body situated behind the anus, the great number of 

 about 400 dorsal tin-rays — a statement the approximate correct- 

 ness of which there is the less reason to doubt, because Rega- 

 led with a similar number of rays are known in the Mediter- 

 ranean. We may also doubt with regard to the "Regalecus 

 glesne" or "Gymnetrus rentipes" described at an early period 

 in the memoirs of our Society, which with a smaller size 

 (10^ feet) and a remarkably reduced number of rays (probably 

 about 168) combined a termination of the caudal extremity 

 and dorsal fin such as is otherwise unknown and certainly not 

 very natural, and with respect to which it is impossible to in- 

 dicate how much is due to the art of the preparer and how 

 much to an original condition which elsewhere disappears by 

 _ the peculiar mutilation or curtailment which the caudal extre- 



x mity always seems to suffer to a greater or less extent in these 



fishes. This curtailment occurred, and essentially in the same 

 manner, in the Fseroe example, in Lindroth's, in the English 

 specimen described by Hancock and Embleton, in a specimen 

 taken in 1881 at Stavanger (upon which Mr. Collett has 

 given me the information published at p. 214 of my memoir), 

 as well as in the Regalecus stranded in 1868 at the Cape of 

 Good Hope, and described by Layard ; and we may therefore 

 regard it as probably a common peculiarity of Regaled of a 

 certain size. A less abnormal termination of the caudal ex- 

 tremity, with a normal caudal fin &c, is probably originally 

 present, as is perhaps indicated by the fish observed by Kussell 

 at Vizagapatam, only 2 / 8" long, and which has not been 

 heard of again for nearly a century ; but this apparently will 

 disappear at an earlier or later period by the truncation or 

 casting-off of the extremity of the tail. Perhaps this mutila- 

 tion is repeated from time to time upon occasion given ; or 

 perhaps it originates a regeneration which produces the great 

 number of rays observed in certain large and old individuals, 

 such as Lindroth's specimen, and, connected therewith, a rela- 

 tive elongation of the caudal part of the body. A part of 

 the measurements of different individuals brought together at 

 p. 215 of my memoir will agree very well with the notion that 

 the tail elongates during the growth of the fish, while the 



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