128 



be said to be toothless. Indeed, a careful anatomical examination of the lower 

 jaw of the animal I am now describing, presents appearances strongly- 

 suggestive of the presence in the foetus of numerous teeth. The canal for the 

 dental nerve is remarkably large, and I experienced considerable difficulty in 

 extracting a mass composed of large nervous filaments and blood vessels, 

 evidently transmitting branches to, if not teeth, at least to the alveole and its 

 living membrane or gum. Had the development of these supposed foetal teeth 

 been completed, the Cetacean under examination would have been a sperm 

 whale, a Cachalot in short. The dissection of a foetal mystecetus, made by 

 myself, showed the existence of numerous teeth in both jcavs ; although at or 

 before the birth of the animal, the development of these teeth is checked, and 

 the nerves and nourishing vessels are appropriated to the development of baleen. 

 A question arises, is the specimen under consideration an adult animal 1 

 and, would these teeth be ultimately protruded"? The present state of the 

 question, as clearly indicated in Dr. Gray's eighth family of the Cetacece, 

 would lead us to conclude that the tooth was a rudimentary affair ; but I 

 answer, its high organization, as shown in the section, leads me to question 

 this view. 



Notes on the Prejoarations mentioned in the foregoing Paper. 

 By Dr. Hector. 



The three Whales described by Dr. Knox in the foregoing paper, are 

 evidently to be classed Avith the Family Ziphidce, as defined in Dr. Gray's 



A 



Catalogue of Seals and Whales, j). 326. 



Preparations of the second and third specimens referred to are deposited 

 in the Colonial Museum, and have been carefully figured in the accompanying 

 Plates 3eV. to XVII. 



Plate SIV. gives three views of the skull (two feet in length) of the young 

 specimen that was captured in Porii-ua Harbour, in 1866, the dimensions of 

 which have already been given [Trans., Yol.^, p.^2T.). 3 J l%^J 



Figure 1 is the side view without the lower jaw, Figure 2 shows the upper 

 surface, and Figure 3 the lower surface of the same. The curious obliquity of 

 the skull, which twists forwards and upwards to right half of it, as shown in 

 the drawing, especially by the relative position of the two segments of the 

 blow-hole, is matter of remark, as it is found to exist in all the specimens of 

 whales and their allies yet examined, and probably corelates with some modi- 

 fication of the progress of the animal through the water, to enable it to enjoy 

 direct forward vision. 

 ■yXV Plate S^. gives three views of the lower jaw belonging to the same head. 

 In Figures 1 and 3, which are the profile and inferior views, it will be observed 



