Hyoromeieine Zealand Cetaceans. 161 
to base of dorsal; a single dorsal, low and rounded, commences at middle of 
back and over the umbilicus. Tail-lobes narrow, falcate, each one-third longer 
than the pectoral. 
Nose and forehead pure white, bounded by a crescent of black behind the 
blow-hole, sharply defined in front, but shading off behind to light grey, 
which is the uniform colour of the upper surface of the body. Fins are all 
darker than the trunk ; there is also pure black round the blow-hole, cloaca, 
and vent. The white “of the snout extends behind the eye, but the dusky 
colour extends forward beneath the angle of the mouth. The lower aspect is 
white as far back as the vent, but is crossed by an isthmus of dark grey 
beneath the pectorals. The white band is continued by two lateral stripes 
that ascend on the flanks. The colouring, as far as I have been able to judge 
by casual inspection is very uniform in all the individuals. 
This dolphin differs in external characters from the genus Lagenorhynchus 
(as described in the “Catalogue of Seals and Whales,” p. 267) in the 
forward position of the dorsal, and the absence of a second fin-lobe on the 
back. 
Common in Cook Strait, and on the West Coast as far south as Jackson 
Bay, travelling in large schools. 
A Bottle-nose shot in 1871 had a total length of 51 inches, girth 32 
inches, and weight 78 lbs. 
: DIMENSIONS. 
Inches. 
Snout to anterior margin of nent ince 1Q 
angle of mouth ; eer se 6 
blow-hole ... = gre seri. DS 
. commencement of grok 24 
5 umbilicus... sae sa es . 24 
vent 36 
Lah of base of dorai 8 
Spread of tail 15 
12 
Length of anterior margin of tail- ane 
There is a complete skeleton and several au a tig jaws in the 
Colonial Museum, tbis being the most commonly cast up of any of the 
dolphins round the coast. 
The skull is flask-shaped, the beak being wide at the base, rapidly tapering 
to an acute point in front, with the edges bevelled in a regular manner. The 
teeth are small, cylindrical, curved, and pointed. Palate slightly concave. 
The length of the adult skull is 14 inches, the beak forming half the 
length, and being three times the width of its middle part ; height of the 
occiput 5-7 inches. The cervical vertebree are anchylosed into a solid mass 
1:3 inch in length. 
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