SYNOPSIS 



SCåNDINAYIAN cetacea. 



" Hvaldyrene (Cetaceerne) have altid hort og hore endnu til de mindst noiagtigt kjendte Dyr, 

 hvad enten vi tage Hensyn til Artsbestemmelsen og den geographiske Udbredning eller til 

 Anatomien og Physiologien." — (D. P. Eschricht : Undersogelser over Hvaldyrere, 1^'^ Afhandling, 

 1844, p. 1.) 



The above-quoted expression of an author, wlio, of all others, has made the most important 

 contributions to our knovpledge of the Whales, is, at least if the word "Dyr" be limited to 

 Mammalia, still applicable, although so many years have passed since the remark was made. 

 This should, it seems, be attributed to the great difficulties connected with the scientific 

 preservation and examination of these often colossal Mammalia, and to the circumstance that 

 the greater part of them very rarely, only accidentally, and at far distant places, fall into the 

 hands of a naturalist. In order to gain a correct knowledge of the relation between different 

 animals, it is generally important to be able to make direct co;nparisons, and for this object it is 

 absolutely necessary to have access to them at the same time and at the same place. But even it 

 the skeletons alone were under consideration, a tolerably complete collection of those of Lhe order 

 Cetacea would be very difficult to obtain. It has lately been proposed, in England, to establish 

 a large museum for Cetacea, in order to gain this object. 



The deficiency in the knowledge of Cetacea generally extends also to those members of the 

 order belonging to our Scandinavian Fauna. Notwithstanding the important contributions to the 

 knowledge of this order, given by Professor Nilsson in his ' Scandinavian Mammalian Fauna,' 

 there yet remains very much to be explained, in regard both to the number of the different 

 species and to their description. During a scientific journey last summer to the Zoological 



^ Scandinavia is here used with the same meaning as in Professor Nilssoii's ' Skandinavisk 

 Pauna'. 



