]2 STUDIES OF TASMANIAN CETACEA, 



ft. in. 



Occipital condyles along the ciirvei — vertical 



measurement 8 



Ditto transverse measurement 4|- 



Total width of the articular and spaice! taken along 



the curve lOJ 



Sheleton. 



The cervical vertebrse, and the first dorsal, make such 

 a compact series that for both illustrative and descriptive 

 purposes they are here considered together (Plate III.). 

 The first three cervicals are completely ankylosed, and the 

 rest are quite free, this is in contrast to the Pseudorca, and 

 Glohicephalus, in which whales all the series! are welded 

 together into a solid mass. The neural spine of the axis 

 slopes backwards at an angle of 45 degrees, and being some 

 five inches in length, approaches the spine of the dorsal to 

 within an inch and a quarter. The whole block measure 

 nine and a quarter inches in antero-posterior extension, 

 and the first pair of diapophyses yield a measurement of 

 fifteen and a half inches across. The neural canal, taken 

 through the atlas, is three and a half inches wide, and two 

 and three-quarters high, and the first dorsal vertebra gives 

 practically similar results. 



For the general contour of this block of vertebrae see 

 the illustration, it being only necessary to add that the 

 block is ten inches high, to the top of the neural spines. 



Dorsal Series. (Plate IV.) 



Four vertebrae of the dorsal series are illustrated to 

 show general outline, and the progressive rise of the meta- 

 pophyses upon the neural spines. The length of this block 

 is twelve and three-fourth inches for the three, and the 

 height of the neural spine of the tallest vertebra is thirteen 

 and three-quarter inches, from the keel of the centrum. 

 The reversed vertebra is that which of the series is nearest 

 to the skull, and therefore the transverse processes (Dia- 

 pophyses) are extremely short. As a guide to size, it may 

 be said that the neural canal of this vertebra is ioxvc inches 

 across, and the centrum measures four and three-quai-ters 

 in either direction. 



Lumhars. (Plate V.) 

 Four early lumbars are shown, and a sequent fifth, re- 

 versed as in the other illustrations. These vertebrse da not 

 carry hssmapophyses (Chevrons), and are, of course, rib- 

 less. The metapophyses are still strongly developed, al- 

 though from their position they perhaps might be called 

 zygapophyses. 



