ON BELMULLET WHALING STATION. 125 



IX. Foetus. 



Efforts have been made to obtain a very small foetus, but with no 

 success up to the present. Five foetus have been examined. Four of 

 these were B. musculus and one was B. sibbaldii. 



A full set of measurements has been taken of these as for adults. 

 All these were too large for embryological work, the smallest being 

 nearly five feet in length, and the largest about eight and a half feet: 



Several interesting specimens were taken from these, e.g., (a) Pec- 

 toral fin (for the extra digit found by Kukenthal) ; (b) Ovaries and 

 ducts; (c) Heart and great vessels; (d) Bodies which appear to be 

 thyroids; (e) Jacobson's organ; (/) Part of jaw to show beginning of 

 whalebone. 



X. — Just inside the tip of lower jaws two small white spots were 

 noticed in B. musculus. In these is a small valve-like flap partly cover- 

 ing a small opening. These openings lead into ducts each about an 

 inch long extending backwards and slightly downwards. The openings 

 ai these canals are about half an inch apart. 



At present I am uncertain what these organs are, as I can find no 

 reference to them in literature. 



Aug. 1, 1911. S. T. Burfield. 



The Committee consider that the investigation of the whales brought 

 into this whaling station on the coast of Ireland is of great importance 

 for the knowledge of the natural history and anatomy of these mam- 

 mals. They hope to report more fully next year on the results obtained 

 when the specimens secured by Mr. Burfield will have been examined. 

 There already seems to be a diminution in the number of whales off the 

 West Coast of Ireland, and hence the present whale fishery is unlikely to 

 bo continued for more than three or four years. 



The Committee consider that it is imperative that the present in- 

 vestigations should be continued next year. The Association gave a 

 grant of 307-., which Mr. Barrington has generously supplemented by 

 a gift of a like amount. This will pay the expenses of the present year, 

 perhaps leaving a balance of 107. 



The Committee ask for reappointment, with a grant of 50L, for the 

 season of 1912, when it is hoped to send an investigator (probably Mr. 

 Burfield) as soon as the fishery opens, so that any catch of the rare 

 Balcenoptera borealis and Physetcr macrocephalus may be investigated. 



Experiments in Inheritance. — Fourth Report of the Committee, consisting 

 of Professor W. A. Herdman (Chairman), Mr. K. Douglas Laurie 

 (Secretary), Professor R. C. Punnett, and Dr. H. W. Marett 

 Tims. (Drawn up by the Secretary.) 



The experiments have yielded results bearing upon several prob- 

 lems : — 



(1) In the first place all my yellow mice appear to be heterozygous 

 in respect of their yellow coat colour, none which have been fairly 

 tested breeding true to yellowness, but on the other hand giving off- 



