6 STUDIKS OF TASMANIAN CETACEA, 



Upon a comparison being made of the two skulls 

 (Specimens No. 2 and 3) with this articulated specimen, 

 and an examination of the leading generic characters of 

 both, it was resolved to make a rough comparison between 

 this skeleton and the dimensions given in the original de- 

 scription (") of the Pseudorca crassidens of Reinhardt. 'i'he 

 results showed such a striking similarity between the twO' 

 specimens that a series of comparative measurements were 

 made, as shown in the following tables. These proved con- 

 clusively that the articulated skeleton was a good example 

 of P seudurca crassidens. As we know it came from Adven- 

 ture Bay it is almost certain to be portion of the Crowther 

 collection and to be one of the mixed school which caime 

 ashore tlieTe. It is known that the school consisted of 

 representatives of the following species: — Globicephohis 

 melas, Orca gladiator, and Pseudorca crassidens. At the 

 time when these specimens were being prepared in Tas- 

 mania (the latter '60s) communication with the centres of 

 scientific research was a matter of months and not of weeks 

 as at the present day. We can well imagine that there 

 was some confusion as regards the exact nomenclature of 

 the species, not only on account of the difuculties of corre- 

 spondence, but also on account of several specimens of 

 different species being obtained from the same locality at 

 the same time. Further, we must remember, that at the 

 time when these specimens were collected the authorities 

 in England appeared to be accentuated by a keen desire 

 to create species. Many of these were based upon slender 

 evidence, and were due to sex and age characteristics aiad 

 not to specific distinctions. The Tasmaiiiau form, for in- 

 stance, was at first raised to specific rank as 0. meridionalis 

 but has since been merged into Pseudorca crassidens. Fur- 

 thermore, the vernacular designations of the whaling fra- 

 ternity were txndoubtedly the cause of further confusion, 

 as several genera and speicies of whales were loosely grouped 

 under the term "Blackfish" (8). This all assisted to con- 

 fuse the issue which in some respects, especially in regard 

 to our local specimens of these species, needed clearing up 

 even at the present time. With the examination of the 

 specimens under review and the tabulated results given m 

 this paper before them the students of Tasmanian Cetacea 

 will, we hope, find the exact classification of certain of oiu' 

 local species an easier task in the future, than it has been 

 in the past. The articuated specimen of P. crassidens m 

 the Tasmaniau Museum appears to be a very typical repre- 

 sentative of its species for ivse as a comparative model, as 



(7) Trans. Recent memoirs of Cetacea. Eay Society 1864. 



(8) Among others tlie pigmy sperm whale. 



