ME. W. H. FLOWER ON THE OSTEOLOGY OF THE SPEEM-WHALE. 363 



of the Toothed Whales, e. g. Globiocephalus, the metacarpals and phalanges are com- 

 pleted by very large epiphyses. The cartilaginous plates terminating two contiguous 

 bones are not blended together as in the Whalebone- Whales (where the phalanges 

 appear only as separate ossifications in a continuous rod of cartilage), but are quite 

 distinct, and, when a longitudinal section is made, show a hee space between them, not 

 unlike a synovial cavity ; but the dry condition of the specimens prevented a very satis- 

 factory investigation of this point. 



The digits spread considerably from each other, giving breadth to the hand ; the fifth 

 especially stands far apart from the others; but the first, or thumb, is, as usual, 

 adpressed towards the second digit. The first is by far the shortest ; the second the 

 longest; the third almost equal to it; the fourth slightly, and the fifth considerably 

 shorter. The phalanges generally are elongated, compressed, and narrower at the 

 middle than at the ends, the last peculiarity being more characteristic of the meta- 

 carpals and proximal phalanges than of those situated more distally. 



The exact enumeration of the phalanges of the digits, for any given species of Ceta- 

 cean, is never very easy, as the terminal bones are often slow and irregular in their 

 ossification, sometimes being represented only by cartilage, or by minute nodules of 

 bone readily lost in the process of preparation. 



As none of the hands belonging to tlie skeletons examined were quite perfect, I 

 have given a figure of this part from another specimen, in which all the bones are 

 retained in their exact relative position and distance apart (Plate LXI. fig. 1). The 

 pisiform bone and the terminal phalanx of the second finger were wanting in this other- 

 wise complete specimen ; they have been added to the figure from another of the sepa- 

 rate pectoral limbs sent to the Museum by Mr. Crowther. 



The first digit has a short metacarpal, the broad upper extremity of which articulates 

 above with the scapho-trapezium, and by its side with the second metacarpal. This is 

 succeeded (in the specimen figured) by a single slender tapering phalanx, the apex of 

 which reaches rather below the articulation between the metacarpal and first phalanx 

 of the second digit. Although in the present specimen this is a single bone, it appears 

 usually to consist of two, the terminal one being much the smaller, and generally more 

 or less ankylosed to the other. In some cases I have found them completely distinct. 

 In one of the hands belonging to the Tasmanian skeleton, these phalanges are not only 

 united together, but also to the distal half of the contiguous second metacarpal (see 

 Plate LV.). 



The second digit has a large metacarpal, which may be distinguished from all the 

 others, by its superior size, and by a small lateral articular surface on the radial side of 

 its proximal extremity, where it is in relation with the first metacarpal. This bone is 

 followed by five phalanges gradually diminishing in size. 



The third digit has likewise five phalanges, besides the metacarpal ; and the fourth 

 has four. The metacarpal of the fifth digit differs from the others in being narrower in 



