MB. W. H. FLO WEE ON THE OSTEOLOGY OF THE SPEEM-WHALE. 311 



complete skull of a very young animal, four lower jaws of adults, four perfect pectoral 

 limbs, some caudal vertebrae, and several detached pelvic and petro-tympanic bones. 



b. The nearly complete skeleton of an adult male Cachalot from the north of Scotland, 

 now in the British Museum. 



c. The skeleton of an adult male Cachalot preserved at Burton Constable, in 

 Yorkshire. 



d. The veiy imperfect skeleton at the Jardin des Plantes, Paris. 



e. The foetal skull in the Museum of the Eoyal College of Surgeons, which was pur- 

 chased in 1844 of a dealer. Unfortunately the locality whence it was obtained is not 

 recorded. 



f. A disarticulated skull, about the same size as the last, in the Museum of St. 

 Bartholomew's Hospital. 



HI. To compare the osteological characters of the Cachalots with those of other 

 allied Cetaceans, in the hope of furnishing additional evidence as to their zoological 

 position in the order. 



IV. To endeavour to ascertain whether the osteological characters furnish indications 

 of more than one species of Cachalot, and, if so, to establish diagnostic characters. Not 

 to prejudge this question, I shall for the present avoid using any specific scientific 

 designation, but speak of the different skeletons compared, according to the localities 

 from which they were obtained. 



A few notes upon the history, general characters, and condition of these skeletons Mill 

 be useful before entering into details. 



1. The Tasmanian specimen. As before stated, this was captured off the coast of 

 Tasmania in the year 1864. The animal was considered a full-sized male, and said to 

 have measured 60 feet in length. It was towed ashoi'e, and the skeleton prepared under 

 Mr. Crowther's directions. It is perfect, with the exception of one of the pelvic bones, 

 four of the chevron bones, and a few of the terminal phalanges. The condition of 

 ossification shows that it is not quite adult : the epiphyses are still loose on the upper 

 end of the humerus, and on all the dorsal and lumbar, as well as the anterior eleven 

 caudal vertebrse ; beyond this they are united to the bodies. The vertebral formula 

 is C. 7. D. 11. L. 8. C. 24 = 50, the vertebra which bears the anterior pair of chevron 

 bones at its hinder end being reckoned as the first caudal. The length of the vertebral 

 column when the vertebrae were placed close together, and in a straight line, was 30' 4". 

 The cranium measures 16' 9" in length. The entire length of the skeleton as articulated 

 is 50' 1", three feet having been allowed for the intervertebral spaces*. There are eleven 



* Perhaps more ehould have been allowed ; for by meas\iriiig the Tcrtebral column of an adult Porpoise, in 

 the recent state, and again after maceration, I find that the length of the whole of the vertebral bodies placed 

 close together is to the recent column, with the intervertebral substances, as 100 to 115. Assuming that the 

 relation is the same in the Cachalot, the recent vertebral column of the animal described above would be 

 3-1' lOj", and the entire skeleton 51' 7|". 



2x2 



