560 ME. W. R. B. OLIVER: REVIEW OP THE 



The Pigmy Right Whale has occurred a number of times on 

 "the New Zealand coast. Elsewhere it has been recorded from 

 West Australia and South Australia. Balcena imarginata was 

 founded on three plates of baleen now in the British Museum. 

 A skull from Kawau was next recognized as belonging to the 

 same species, and was described by Hector (1870, p. 26). This 

 was constantly referred to by Hector and others (see Palmer, 

 Index Gen. Mamm. p. 452, 1904) as the "type" of the species, 

 but this is obviously wrong. The type of Balcena marginata is 

 the baleen from West Australia in the British Museum. 



Kawau. — Skull in Dominion Museum, Wellington. Described 

 by Hector (1870). Hector afterwards referred to this as the type 

 skull. On Hector's description Gray separated the species from 

 Balcena under the generic name Neohalcena. (PI. I. figs. 2 & 3.) 



Oharia., Cook Strait. — -Skeleton in Dominion Museum, Welling- 

 ton. VertebrEe: 0. 7, D. 18, L. 2, Oa. 14=41. Cervicals fused. 

 Ribs 17, of which 2nd to 5th are two-headed. 



Canterhury Coast. — Skeleton in Australian Museum, Sydney. 



Steioart Island. — {a) Skeleton with baleen in British Museum. 

 Described by Hector (1875, 1871). In this description the 

 number of vertebrae and ribs appears to be incorrectly stated. 

 Compare the description by Beddard ('Book of Whales,' p. 141, 

 1900.) (6) Skeleton in Dominion Museum, Wellington. Skull 

 symmetrical. Viewed from above, the general form is triangular, 

 broadest behind where at the angles the supraoccipital and 

 squamosals meet ; from here it tapers at first gradually to the 

 edge of the orbits, then suddenly to opposite the nasals ; thence 

 follows a long, tapering, pointed rostrum with slightly concave 

 sides. Yiewed from the side, the upper contour of the skull is 

 nearly straight from condyles to vertex, then depressed at a broad 

 angle and slightly bowed to the tip of the rostrum. Pre- 

 maxillaries narrow, of nearly uniform width, their inner edges 

 meeting as an acute ridge in front, but flattening out near the 

 blow-hole and twisting so that the outer edges form ridges each 

 side of it. Maxillaries broad behind, suddenly contracting to 

 opposite the nasals, tapering to a point a,nteriorIy, not extending 

 as far forward as the premaxillaries. The exposed lateral portions 

 of the frontal form two broad quadrangular plates, overlapping 

 the posterior portion of the maxillaries, and well below the level 

 of the supraoccipital, slightly concave centrally, but arched over 

 the orbits. A narrow strip only of the frontal exposed between 

 the supraoccipital and nasals. Wide deep lateral channels 

 between upper and lower horizontal expansions of the supra- 

 occipital. On the palatal aspect of the skull the maxillaries form 

 a sharp central ridge, between which the vomer is exposed. 

 Pterygoids meeting along the middle line, flat behind but 

 anteriorly forming a ridge continuous with that of the maxillaries. 

 Rami of mandible massive, compressed, angled above and below ; 

 nerve foramina near the upper edge. (PI. I. fig. 1.) Yertebrfe : 

 0. 7, D. 18, L. 1, Oa. 14 = 40. Cervicals fused into a. single mass. 



