98 Transactions.— Zoology. 
in the Australian Museum, obtained in 1851 in Port Jackson, of which a 
description was given in Walls' History of the New Sperm Whale, 1851, 
8vo, T. 2, p. 37 (skeleton), but which, according to Krefft, was entirely written 
by the eminent zoologist W. Sharpe MacLeay (see British Museum Catalogue of 
Seals and Whales, page 218, and seq.). 
The specimen under review was found by some fishermen amongst the 
rocks, on the 17th August of this year, when it tried in vain to regain the 
sea, but was easily secured. 
As Mr. Potts was kind enough to send immediately a telegram from 
Lyttelton, the taxidermist of the Museum, Mr. F. R. Fuller, could at once 
proceed to the spot, by which not only all necessary measurements were 
secured before the animal was cut into for procuring the oil, but also both 
skin and skeleton were obtained in perfect order. 
The animal on examination proved to be a. female, apparently full grown, 
and had the following dimensions :— 
Total length 1 feet 2 inches. 
Breadth of tail s i 1, "0, 
Around body behind pectoral fins & Ww PB 
» n oye ... $346 53 
» » before dorsal fin By y 
Pectoral fin—length Ü o3 
breadth 9 uu 915, 
> 2 ... 
Colour—black, belly greyish white. 
There is only one single valve covering the blow-holes, the slit being 
2 inches long, of which 1:5 inches lie on the left and :5 inch on the right side 
of the top of the head. The skin surrounding the valve is raised in a lunate 
form, rather conspicuously on the left side, open posteriorly. The left side of 
the valve is far more developed and stronger than the right one. The animal, 
however, was unfortunately too much disfigured on the top of the head, by 
blows or other causes, so that it was impossible to ascertain if the small 
channel of the right blow-hole had an opening of its own, so that it could throw 
out a separate jet of water, or, what is more likely, could only add a minute 
quantity to the main jet thrown out by the left blow-hole, of which more anon. 
The form of the dorsal fin could also not be well ascertained, as the hind edge, 
which is described by MacLeay as nearly perpendicular and concave, had, in 
our specimen, been torn away previously, the wound being well scarred. 
The small eyes situated so low down the broad head, the pectoral fins of 
such inconsiderable size, the small mouth being placed like that of a shark, well 
back, give to this animal a strange appearance, 
When first examining the anatomical characters of the skull, it at once 
became evident that if not identical with Euphysetes grayii, it would be closely 
allied to it. 
