WHALES 325 
July, 1908, five months after I first saw the carcase, rescued the 
bones and successfully delivered them at the Museum. The work 
‘proved to be a very arduous and disagreeable task, and altogether 
occupied four weeks. 
£400 was paid for the skeleton landed at the Museum, of this 
sum one-half was raised by public subscription. 
The skeleton was mounted by the Museum staff and now 
presents the appearance shown on plate LIX., which is reproduced 
from a Sequent series of photographs. 
The following are some of the principal dimensions taken 
either from the carcase or the skeleton. 
Total length 87 ft. 
Length of head 21 ft. 
Greatest width of skull roft. 8in. 
Direct length of lower jaw 2oft. 8in. 
Greatest width across mandibles Ioft. roin. 
Length of paddle, r1{t gin. 
Width of tail flukes 21 ft. 
Length of sternum rft. roin. 
Breadth of sternum 2it. 
Breadth of scapular 5ft. 6in. 
Width of 15th dorsal vertebra 5ft. 2in. 
Number of vertebree— 
Cervical 7 (all free): 
Dorsal 15. 
Lumbar 14. 
Caudal 28. Total, 64. 
Number of ribs 15 pairs. 
The first 20 caudal vertebre possess chevron bones. 
Zoologists differ as to the number of ribs possessed by the Blue 
Whale, some giving 15 and others 16 pairs. While the Okarito 
whale has the lower number, it is significant that the sixteenth 
dorsal vertebra has an articular surface, so that did we not know 
that all the ribs were secured and preserved, we should, by exami- 
nation of the vertebre pronounce the number to be 16 pairs. 
Attention may be drawn to the small bones suspended beneath 
the lumbar region ; they arein no way attached tothe axial skeleton 
but’ during life were imbedded in the flesh, and represent all that 
remains of the hind limbs, with which the ancestors of whales were 
no doubt furnished. They are thus vestigial bones, the larger of 
which probably represent the ischia—one of the bones of the pelvis— 
while the smaller bones, no larger than a walnut, are probably 
referable to the rudiments of a hind limb. 
It is noteworthy that whereas some of the bones of the whale 
as for example those of the lower jaw, are composed of very hard 
