BELMULLET WHALING STATION. 133 
46 ft. 7 in. long) it has a robust figure, and the dorsal fin is of great 
height as compared with that of the Finner. This specimen had been 
lying at the buoy from Thursday afternoon until it was hauled up 
on Saturday morning, and was therefore considerably decomposed. 
The dorsal surface was dark grey, as was also the post-anal area of 
the ventral surface. The pre-anal region was for the most part of 
white colour, asymmetrically arranged. There was a considerable 
amount of black blotching towards the left side of this area, and on 
this side the white area was continued backwards in a large patch. 
There was no white patch corresponding with this on the right side. 
The symphysis was pigmented, and here there was a whorled design 
similar to that on the skin of the Blue Whale as described above. 
The upper lips and the lower side of the anterior end of the rostrum 
were nearly black, and were finely tuberculated. The inner (palmar) 
surface of the pectoral fins was pale, streaky, greenish grey, with 
black streaks intermingling with the less dark flecks. The right side 
was a dark grey, nearly black. This may have been due to the fact 
that the right side had been more exposed to the sun than the left side 
as the animal lay at the buoy. 
The ear aperture was small. The tongue presented an area which 
could be more readily recognised as the dorsal surface than in the 
case of the Finners. ' 
4. Humpback (Megaptera longimana, Rud.). 
Katernal Characters.—The form of the single specimen taken was 
robust, reminding one somewhat of the figure of the Sperm Whale. 
The dorsal fin was placed far back and was much falcated, and of 
moderate height. The colour was slate-chocolate, but very dark, 
almost black. Pure white, splashed, ring-like marks occurred on the 
lower jaw and on the dorsal side of the pectoral fin. The outer sides 
of the right mandible and of the right upper jaw were white, but 
on the left only the inner sides were unpigmented. The ventral 
surface of the flukes was white. The ventral folds were few in 
number (23), and wide; running up the centre of each groove was 
a low ridge about °375 in. high, of triangular section. The folds 
were about 4 in. wide and 5 in. apart. The median fold, with the 
next on each side, also the fold next the right pectoral fin, were mere 
narrow grooves. 
There was a deep groove running from the angle of the jaw 
downwards and backwards to a point about one-third of the width 
of the pectoral fin from its anterior margin. Another groove ran 
from a point a little above and in advance of the termination of this 
groove to a point somewhat behind the posterior margin of the 
pectoral, and a little above it. Unlike the small external auditory 
aperture of the Balenopterids the opening in this specimen was 
8 in. long. The upper surface of the snout had the characteristic 
knobs of the species. In the mid-dorsal line there were five, the 
first being 11 in. from the tip of the snout, and the last 13} in. from the 
spiracle. The spaces between the knobs, running from the snout, were 
103, 18, 123, 234 in. respectively. There were also two series of 
