SCANDINAVIAN CETACEA. 247 



HypEiiooDON Borealis, S. Nilsson. Skandinavisk Fauna, Daggande Djuren, 

 r'^'uppl., p. 404, 18.20. 

 __ — Idem. Skand. Fauna, Daggdjuren, 2^'" uppl., p. 633. 



Chaenocetus ROSTiiATCs, [D. F. Esehrichi. Zoologisch-anatomisch-physiologische 

 Untersuchungen iiber die nordischen Wallthiere, p. 31, 

 tab. i, 1849. 

 Hyperoodon rostratum, C. G. Giebel. Die Saugthiere, p. 108, 1855. 



jVo/e. — That the Balæna rosirata described by Pontoppidan is the same as this toothed-whale is 

 very evident, from the descriptions and figures, incomplete and deficient as they are, which he gives 

 of it ; it has therefore not been doubted by any one. It will, however, be of interest to give an 

 additional evidence of this. At Hammarby, the late country residence of Linné, where two of the 

 rooms are still left in their original condition, there is a small picture above the door of the inner 

 room, representing a Hyperoodon rostraius, which, although deficient in many respects, is much better 

 than the one given by Pontoppidan in his history. Below the larger figure there is a smaller one 

 representing the young. The following interesting inscription will be found on the picture : " This fish 

 was caught in Eskevik Bay, on the estate of Colonel Hans Kolbjorn, at Fredrikshall in Norway, on 

 the 17th Novbr. 1749, and was ascertained to be 36' long and 15 feet in circumference. When 

 opened a fætus 7 feet long was discovered." This inscription shows that the figure was made from the 

 same specimen which Pontoppidan has described. The figure represents the body rather too thick, 

 probably caused by the animal being distended by gas arising from its decomposed state. The dorsal 

 fin is rather long, and placed in a wrong direction, and the eye is rather too large ; the figure is, with 

 these exceptions, correct, and undoubtedly represents the species in question. A spout of water arises 

 from the blowhole. The inscription being in Swedish, would seem to indicate that the figure had 

 been sent to Linné by some Swede in Fredrickshall, unless Pontoppidan himself sent it, and Linné 

 afterwards made the inscription from the information received. It seems from this that the pre- 

 sent species could not have been unknown to Linné, and such being the case, it is surprising that 

 it is not anywhere mentioned by him.^ 



It may, according to Hunter, reach a length of 30'— 40'. Those obtained have generally 



been 18' 20'— 26' in length, and mostly females. It is tolerably thick forward, and its greatest 



circumference, which, according to the above statement on the figm-e, as well as measurements 

 given by Eschricht and Wesmael, is greater than half the length of the animal, is immediately 

 behind the pectoral fin. Erom this point it tapers gradually towards the caudal fin. The head 

 behind the beak rises vertically and is very convex in old specimens, in which the protuberances 

 or crests on the maxillary bones are fully developed. This part is sloping in young specimens as 

 represented by Wesmael, apparently in consequence of the crests being lower. The base of the 

 dorsal fin begins about the beginning of the hinder third of the body. The length of the beak is 

 according to Eschricht ^'^th of the length of the body. The length of the oblong oval pectoral fins is, 



1 The H. latifrons from the North Sea described by J. E. Gray (1. c), with the protuberances on 

 the superior maxillary bones much higher than the occipital crest, and so thick that they almost 

 touch each other, is, according to the same author's later observations, a distinct species. Eschricht 

 considered it an old male of the present species. I have not seen any such skull in our Scandinavian 

 museums. 



