BY H. H. SCOTT AND CLIVE E. LORD. 109 



HISTORY. 



The two whales chiefly noted in this paper, both came 

 into the Tamar River (the male some years prior to the 

 female), and were thus captured; both were in ill-health. 

 The male had just escaped from some titanic battle, and 

 was torn and mutilated. The female ascended the North 

 Esk to Hobblers' Bridge, and died there, but the male 

 still showed fight, and was killed in the Cataract Gorge, 

 and afterwards exhibited in Brisbane-street. 



Both were similar in external outlines, and also in 

 colo'Ur. In the matter of the lower jaws, the mandibular 

 symphysis protruded more in the male than in the 

 female. 



The upper parts of these Dolphins were deep black,, 

 richly polished, with slate-coloured tints below. We hold 

 skulls and parts of skeletons from King Island, Flinders, 

 and the North-West Coast of Tasmania, and there is- 

 some evidence in favo'ur of admitting a second species of 

 Tursiops, but for the present we regard Tursiops tursio as 

 being alone certain. If a second species is shown to 

 exist, we think a curious twisting of the neural spines of 

 the lumbar vertebr£e and the moderate length of some 

 eight feet odd, will largely enter into its specific charac- 

 ters. Twice we have traced such items, but we are stili 

 awaiting the eAddence obtainable from the dissection of a 

 eomplete specimen. 



In conclusion, we may just point out that as far as 

 our evidence goes the Tursiops of Australian seas very 

 closely simulates that of Exu'opean waters, and, upon the 

 whole, ju:stifies the retention of a single classification for 

 both parts of the globe. It mig-ht be wise, however, to 

 retain for our Dolphins the additional distinctive title — 

 "Southern Form" — as we suggested in the early part of 

 our paper. 



