II. — Z OOLOGY. 



Aet. XVIII. — Notes on Balsenoptera rostrata, F^abricius, (B. huttoni, Gray), 

 By Professor Julius von Haast, Ph.D., F.R.S., Director of the Canter- 

 bury Museum, 



[Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, SOth December, 1880.] 



Plate in. 



On the 7th February of this year the information reached me that in the 

 early morning a whale had been stranded on the Sumner beach, and that it 

 bad been taken possession of by Mr. Joseph Day, of that place. Proceeding- 

 without delay to that locality, I found the animal in question to be a male 

 specimen of the small pike whale {Balmioptera huttoni, Gray) twenty-three 

 feet four inches long, and of which a skeleton is in the British Museum. 

 The animal had died only a short time before, and was consequently quite 

 fresh ; and, as the greatest care had been taken to preserve it fi-om injury, 

 a welcome opportunity was offered to me to make a careful description on 

 the spot, and to take the necessary measurements. The whale was almost 

 lying on its back, so that the extensile bag formed by the plaits at the 

 throat and upper portion of the breast had fallen in, the animal thus appear- 

 ing remarkably flat-headed — in fact, the head reminded one, when the large 

 mouth was shut, of that of a huge reptile. The plaits counted acrosa 

 amounted to sixty-four. 



Those in and towards the centre began only at a distance of about one 

 foot from the top of the lower jaw, while the others reached close to its sides, 

 ending in the same manner on the lower chest. The side plaits were con- 

 tinuous, thus differing from those of the centre, which were interruj)ted two 

 or three times, with short intervals between them. 



Colour. — Back, dorsal fin, and sides, slaty-black ; breast, throat, and 

 belly, white. The black colour advances considerably near the shoulder 

 upon the throat, then retreats again, and the white colour advances up 

 the side so as to surround the base of the pectoral fin, of which the lower 

 portion is also of a clear blueish-white tinge, the effect of which is still more 

 heightened by the black terminating on it in beautiful fringe-like patterns 

 in distinct designs, and ranging between bright and dark slaty-black. 



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