456 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS [VOI,. 5<> 



to satisfy myself that it is really such. It has one thick edge, which 

 may be the orbital free border, and an opposite thin edge. The 

 superior surface (supposing it to be such) exhibits a shallow, semi- 

 circular depression, which might mark the position of the superim- 

 posed maxilla. With the bone thus oriented, however, the under sur- 

 faces are not readily interpreted, nor does the bone agree in general 

 form with the frontal plate shown in any figure of Schizodelphis, 

 Champsodelphis, or Acrodelpfais which I have been able to find. In 

 my opinion, the fragment represents a portion from the side of the 

 basisphenoid of a species of Mesoplodon, and has, therefore, no con- 

 nection with the type specimen of S. crassangulum. 



In 1900 Dr. Abel united several European species formerly as- 

 signed to the genera Champsodelphis, Schizodelphis, Platydelphis, 

 Cetorhynchus, etc., under his genus Cyrtodelphis, grouping them in 

 two species — C. sulcatus and C. christolii} Subsequently he with- 

 drew C. christolii to another genus and family. 2 In 1907 Dr. C. R. 

 Eastman pointed out that Cyrtodelphis was a synonym of Schizodel- 

 phis? and Abel's remaining species therefore becomes Schizodelphis 

 sulcatus (Gervais). 



It is evident that S. crassangulum (Case) is not identical with S. 

 sulcatus. The latter is considerably larger, with a more massive 

 beak and fewer teeth, more widely spaced. The teeth are about 



— to — in sulcatus, while in crassangulum they are about — In 

 39 49 67" 



the former species 5 teeth are included in a length of 50 mm., as 

 against 8 teeth in S. crassangulum. 



The type specimen of S. sulcatus appears to be a skull from 

 Vendargues, Department of Herault, France, which was first de- 

 scribed by Gervais in 1840, under the name of Delphinus pseudo- 

 dclphis} The condition of this skull is such that it can scarcely 

 be used in comparative studies. Having found that the specific 

 name was preoccupied, he changed it in 1853 to sulcatus, 5 and at 

 the same time described another skull, obtained from Couronsec 

 (Herault), France. This specimen, which was in excellent condition, 

 may be considered the real type of the species. As already stated, 

 it is larger than that of crassangulum. The teeth are larger, fewer, 

 and more widely spaced, the palate is deeply concave above the 



1 Denkschr. k. Akad. Wiss. Wien, Math.-Nat- Wiss. Classe, 68, 1900, p. 850. 



2 Mem. Mus. Roy. Hist. Nat. Belg., 3, 1905, p. 95. 



3 Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 51, 1907, p. 84. 



4 Bull. Acad. Sci. Montpellier, 1840, p. 11. 



5 Bull. Soc. Geol. France, 10, 1853, p. 312. 



