OSTEOLOGY OF THE PIGMY WHALE. 91 



many close agreements which they present. The shortness of the neural spines of the 

 vertebrae — although clearly partly at least due to youth, as is evidenced by the rough 

 edges which they show, indicating the existence of some unossified cartilage — might 

 not be regarded as entirely uncharacteristic of the species were it not for the second 

 specimen. Length of neural spines is sometimes a character of importance in the 

 Cetacea. In tlie larger specimen the great length of the neural spines is a very 

 distinguishing feature of the skeleton, and is no doubt a character of the genus or species. 

 The slightly diflPerent form of the scapula in the two whales is another point to which 

 attention might be directed as evidence of specific difference ; but it hardly, to my 

 mind, amounts to a sufficiently marked variation, and might also be — probably is — due 

 to different stages of ossification. 



I now proceed to a description of the skeleton of Neohaloena, which is mainly 

 drawn from the larger individual at South Kensington. 



The Vertebral Column. 



The total number of vertebrae possessed by the larger of the two specimens is 43, 

 Avhich are thus distributed among the several regions : — 



C. 7. D. 18. L. 2. Ca. 16 = 43. 



The cervical vertebras (PL IX. fig. 3), as in Balmna, form a fused mass, and the 

 fusion is very thorough though not absolutely complete. The spinous processes of all 

 seven are completely fused. A single broad plate of bone, rounded anteriorly and 

 concave posteriorly, represents the seven spinous processes of the cervical vertebrae. 

 Laterally, however, the fusion is not so thorough. The first five are quite 

 consolidated ; but behind this mass the backwardly projecting process which corre- 

 sponds to the metapophysis of the dorsal vertebras is quite obvious for the two 

 remaining vertebrae of the series. The upper bars of the transverse processes of these 

 vertebrae are longest in the atlas ; from this vertebra they gradually decrease in size 

 up to the fourth. The process in question of this vertebra is pretty nearly of the same 

 length as are those of the following ones. The lower transverse processes of the vertebrae 

 are fused into a thick plate which is concave on its upper face, that turned towards the 

 upper transverse processes. It is one solid piece, and no traces exist of its formation 

 out of various component parts. The anterior end of the plate of bone projects more 

 than the middle and hinder portions ; there is thus a correspondence with the upper 

 transverse processes. The total length of the seven cervical vertebras is about equal 

 (a little less than) the length of the succeeding three dorsals. 



The dorsal vertebrae, as already mentioned, are eighteen in number. The first of 

 the series (the lower vertebra in PI. VIII. fig. 2) is much less than those which follow ; 

 its transverse processes only reach out to very nearly the same level as those of the 

 immediately preceding cervicals. The transverse processes of this and of the three 

 following dorsals are thickish from above downwards and not wide; the thickness 



