88 ME. W. H. FLOWEE ON THE OSTEOLOGY OE 



In the Zoology of d'Orbigny's ' Voyage en Amerique meridionale,' " Mammiferes," 

 by d'Orbigny and Gervais (1847), more careful figures both of the upper and lateral sur- 

 face, and of the teeth, of the same skull are given (pi. 22), but unaccompanied by any 

 further description. It is, however, suggested that the animal belongs to the same 

 species as a stuffed and painted specimen received at the Paris Museum from the Musee 

 d'Ajuda at Lisbon among the spoils of Napoleon's Peninsular campaign, and described 

 by de Blain\'ine in the Article " Dauphin " in the ' Nouveau Dictionnaire d'Histoire 

 Naturelle,' t. ix. p. 151 (1817), as Belphinus geoffrensis, and subsequently by Desmarest* 

 as B.geoffroyi. 



In a later notice by Professor Gervais, in the Zoology of Castelnau's ' Expedition 

 dans les parties centrales de I'Amerique du Sud,' "Mammiferes," p. 90(1855), this sup- 

 sition is confirmed, and the name Inia geoffrensis definitively adopted. In this notice 

 some further details are given respecting the original skull brought home by d'Orbigny ; 

 and a new figure of the external appearance of the animal is added, differing chiefly 

 from that of d'Orbigny in the position of the pectoral limb. 



A few years ago that enterprising natm-alist Mr. H. W. Bates obtained at Ega two 

 skulls, which are now in the British Museum. Of one of these. Dr. Gray has given the 

 dimensions f . 



According to information received fi-om my friend Dr. Peters, there is in the Ana- 

 tomical Museum at Berlin a skull brought home by Natterer. No description of this, 

 however, has been published. 



In the early part of the present year Mr. Edward Bartlett, while collecting zoological 

 specimens on the upper Amazon, above Nauta, succeeded, after encountering many diffi- 

 culties, in obtaining a complete animal, the carefully prepared skeleton of which has 

 now been purchased for our National Collection. For the opportunity of examining 

 and describing this rare and interesting specimen, before it was deposited in the 

 Museum, I am indebted to the kindness of Dr. Gray. 



The skeleton is that of a young animal, the epiphyses being not united to the bodies 

 of the vertebrae from the axis to the tenth caudal ; but the arches have completely 

 coalesced with the bodies throughout the spinal column. The head of the humerus 

 stUl retains its epiphysial condition. The total length of the living animal, judging 

 from the skull and vertebrae, and allowing for the intervertebral spaces, would be but 

 little more than 5', the skull being 16-4". The specimen obtained by d'Orbigny is 

 stated to have measured 2°>-4=6' 8" Eng., and its skull is 0°'-48 or 19". The skulls 

 collected by Mr. Bates indicate animals of stiU larger size, the one being 19-4", the 

 other 20-7" long. The skull at Berlin, as Professor Peters has informed me, is IQf 

 Eng. in length. Martins states the length of the animal to be from 7 to 8 feet. Finally, 

 Castelnau gives 2™-80 or 8' 4" as the length of an individual taken at Nauta. 



* Mammalogie, p. 512 (1822). 



t Catalogue of Seals and WTiales in the British Museum, p. 227 (1866). 



