Transactions. — Zoology, 



8. Beeakdius aknuxii, Duvernoy. 



Plate XVI. 



An adult male of the porxjoise whale was captured in the entrance to 

 Wellington Harbour on 12th January, 1877, and the complete skeleton has 

 since been mounted in the museum. 



The condition of the terminal epiphyses of the vertebrae and limb bones 

 shows it to be of more mature age than the s^Decimen of slightly larger size 

 forwarded to the College of Surgeons Museum by Dr. von Haast, in 1868,* 

 which Prof. Flower has made the subject of a most exhaustive and masterly 

 memoir, t The external form of this whale is shown in the accompanying 

 outline sketch (plate XVI.) which was made by careful measurement. The 

 colour was black with a purple hue, except a narrow band along the belly, 

 which was grey. The muzzle, flix)pers, and tail lobes were intensely black. 

 The snout was flattened above and the lower jaw projected two inches beyond 

 the upper, which was received into firm fleshy lips. The interior of the 

 mouth was of a dark slate colour. The teeth did not penetrate the gums, 

 nor could their position be discovered till deep incisions were made. 



The blow-hole was on the vertex of the head directly over the eye, with 

 a rounded prouuberance in front. The flippers were stout and rigid, and 

 there were no axillary folds of sldn to indicate great freedom of motion. 



The form of the body was ^eyhstdrical and of nearly uniform size between 

 the flippers and the vent. The dorsal fin, which commenced over the vent, 

 was thick and rigid with a thin rounded edge. The tail lobes were broad 

 and powerful. 



Total length 



Extreme girth at middle 



Snout to eye 



Snout to blow-hole 



Length of gape 



Anterior border of flipper 



Snout to root of flipper 



Snout to dorsal fin 



Length of base of dorsal fin 



Height of dorsal fin 



Expanse of caudal flukes 

 The skeleton agrees in most of the details with 

 Flower. The teeth are two on each side near the tip of the lower jaw, the 

 anterior being the larger, and agreeing in form with the single tooth found on 

 each side of the jaw of the specimen captured at the same place in January, 

 1870. 1 The skull of that specimen is in the museum, and agrees in every 



* Trans. N.Z. Inst., n., 190. t Trans. Zool. Soc, YHI., 203. 



X Trans. N.Z. List., m., 129. 



Ft. 

 . 27 



In. 



6 







. 15 











2 



11 







3 



6 







. 1 



8 







. 2 



7 







. 5 



2 







. 18 











. 2 











. 



10 







. 5 



3 







that described 



by 



Prof. 



