426 CETACEA. 



are close together; the anterior ones in the lower jaw are an inch in length, slender, 

 and sharp -pointed, with the points slightly incurved and projecting outside those of 

 the upper jaw." 



A skull of a Platanist from the Ganges measuring 12 inches in length and 

 thus strictly comparable with the foregoing Indus skull, presents all the features 

 described as characteristic of P. gangetica var. minor ; all the occipital elements have 

 almost wholly coalesced, complete union having taken place between the basi- 

 occipitals and exoccipitals, the only portion of a suture remaining unclosed being a 

 very limited part between the exoccipitals and supra-occipitals ; all the other sutures 

 of the skull have very much the characters they have in adult life, but they want 

 the well-defined ridges which appear with age. The skull, however, is undoubtedly 

 the skull of a very young individual, as is fully verified by the condition of its ver- 

 tebral column and limbs. The teeth of this specimen exactly correspond to the 

 description given by Owen of P. gangetica var. minor. On the left side of the 

 upper jaw only eighteen teeth had perforated the gums, and nineteen on the right 

 side, but the piece of skin behind these teeth has dried off the jaws, carrying along 

 with it the remaining teeth, and exposing the alveolar groove deprived of its teeth. 

 In the lower jaw all the teeth are present, as the skin has not peeled off ; they are 

 close together, sharp and 'pointed, and the largest tooth is about one inch in length, 

 and they gradually diminish in length from before backwards. I am, therefore, 

 disposed to regard the characters which Owen considered as separating this Indus 

 skull as a distinct variety as in no way remarkable in a young specimen of Platanist, 

 and that the dental features of the skull in question and the open alveolar groove 

 conclusively show it to have been the young of a large animal ; but whether the 

 Indus Platanist, which so closely resembles that of the Hughli, is specifically distinct 

 from it has yet to be proved. In habits, however, the two would appear to be the 

 same, as I gathered from replies to the queries on this point in my schedule of 

 questions. 



With reference to 'Flatanist(E from the Hughli, my experience has been the 

 reverse of Mr. Blyth's, who, writing in 1863, states, — " I have never obtained a male " 

 of this animal. I have obtained many, and of these have tabulated the measure- 

 ments of nine skeletons and skulls, whereas the females observed by me have been 

 comparatively few. 



In the accompanying tables (I to IV) I have given detailed measurements of the 

 skulls and skeletons of fifteen individuals, all of which were caught in the Hughli, 

 with the exception of Nos. 2, 5, and 14. I have also given the external measure- 

 ments of some of these animals (Table I), and in explanation of the seeming irregu- 

 larity in the dimensions ascertained, I have to state that the individuals to be 

 measured were invariably received unexpectedly, and generally partially decayed, 

 so that they were always hurriedly measured and before reference could be made 

 to previous notes. 



