— 103 — 



According to Weber (7) p. 575 this species is supposed to reach a 

 maximum length of 26 M, whereas the specimen treated of here shows a 

 length in horizontal projection of 27,28 M, that is measured from the centre 

 of the line connecting the extremities of the caudal flukes to the bony front- 

 side of the lower maxillary. 



As, however, beside a great many points of resemblance with the last 

 mentioned large species of whale, a good many differences can be pointed 

 out, it is not an easy thing to settle whether the specimen under discussion 

 should be termed an entirely new species or a variety of Balaenoptera mus- 

 culus L. Our knowledge of the variation of Balaenoptera nmsculus L. is 

 insufficient to help us out of this uncertainty. Meanwhile the characteristic 

 features of this northern finner have been as far as possible compared with 

 corresponding data derivable from the Buitenzorg specimen. 



Balaenoptera musciiliis L. being moreover comparatively rare, and few 

 reliable illustrations being therefore at my disposal, I have considered it 

 expedient in describing the Buitenzorg specimen also to compare, wherever 

 necessary, the illustrations of Balaenoptera physalus L. which latter species 

 is nearly related to Balaenoptera musculus L. 



As far as good illustrations were already available it will be sufficient for 

 me to enumerate the points of difference these pictures show as compared with 

 the bones of the Buitenzorg skeleton now under discussion. 



Where, however, the parts of the Buitenzorg skeleton were quite dissimilar 

 to the existing figures, a more detailed description has been given, sometimes 

 of component parts when it was those portions that showed the divergences. 



To this description has been added a large number of illustrations 

 drawn by myself, in which it has been my endeavour to bring out both the 

 shape and the typical characteristics of each part of the skeleton by a judicious 

 distribution of light and shade. Also the special structure of the bone and the 

 minor bends and peculiarities of the surface, which are invariably weakened 

 by a photograph, I have made more distinct in the figures, in order to render 

 these frequently characteristic features more conspicuous. 



The outward shape. 



When I first saw the stranded whale, the body already in decomposition 

 was lying on its back and was entirely fallen in. The epidermis had to a 



