ON THE GREENLAND RIGHT- WHALE. 87 



m. The superior maxillary {os maxillare superius). 



n. The nasal {os nasale). 



0. The occipital {os occipitale). 



JO. The palatine {os palatinum). 



q. Ihe processus jugularis of the occipital. 



r. The processus mastoideus of the temporal. 



t. The temporal {os temporale). 



f. The processus zygomaticus of the temporal. 



u. The pterygoid {os pterygoideum). 



V. The vomer. 



w. The petrous bone {os peirosum) . 



z. The zygomatic {os zygomaticum). 



sc. (Plate IV, fig. 1), strong ligaments. 



In the skull of the Greenland whale, as in that of the other right-whales, we are immediately 

 struck by the great difference between the short broad cranial portion, and the long and narrow 

 maxillary portion, almost resembling a shaft issuing from it. In commencing by an examination 

 of the latter, we may refer our readers to the facts above mentioned relative to its curve, and the 

 inclined position of its two lateral palatine surfaces ; here we shall only mention the individual 

 bones composing it, which appear on its exterior surface. 



The lower surface of this extremely long and narrow part is, in the full-grown whale, 

 formed almost exclusively by the superior maxillaries, closely united with each other in the 

 middle line, forming the very sharp keel of the palate, completely concealing the vomer. But 

 they are not continued quite to the anterior point of the jaw, and close to their foremost 

 extremity they separate from each other on the palatine surface (see Plate IV, fig. 3 m), so that 

 the cartilaginous primordial vomer appears here on the skull (c). Such is the case in both 

 our large skeletons, and also in the half-grown twenty-two feet long one ; but in the 

 newborn specimen the vomer makes its appearance in the middle line of the palate. This 

 appearance of the vomer is also shown, both in Cuvier's figure of the old cranium in the 

 British Museum, and in d'Alton's of the young one in the Museum of Berhn ; but we believe 

 that this may probably be accounted for by the cii'cumstance that, among the numerous 

 injuries sustained by both these specimens, the very brittle palatine keel, formed by the superior 

 maxillaries, has been broken off. The vomer only extends as far as to the anterior third of the 

 upper jaw (see Plate V, fig. 1 v") ; and where it stops, the superior maxillaries meet together in the 

 middle line even in the cranium of our newborn cub, and do not deviate from each other again 

 until near the anterior extremity. The extreme point of the upper jaw is formed, nearest to the 

 Uiiddle Hne of the palate by the cartilaginous primordial vomer on both sides, and by the inter- 

 maxillaries above. The primordial vomer, which throughout the rest of its extent is higher than 

 broad, becomes flattened at this point, and the anterior extremities of the intermaxillaries are 

 closely joined with its flattened point. In the palatine surface, where (Plate IV, fig. 3, i) the 

 intermaxillaries look like a direct continuation of the superior maxillaries, they only enclose 

 it at both sides, leaving it bare in the middle. So far they may be said to diverge from each other 

 in this place ; but they can hardly have done so to such an extent as the drawings of Cuvier and 

 Brandt (not those of d'Alton of the same specimen) would seem to indicate, in which the foremost 



