1 1 .— Z OOLOGY, 



Art, XXI. — Notes on Ziphius (Epiodon) nov£e-zealandiae, von Haast — 

 Goose-beaked Whale. By Prof. Julius von Haast, Ph.D., F.K.S., 

 Director of the Canterbury Museum. 



Plate VIII. 

 {Read before the Philosophicallnstitute of Canterhury, 'i^th November, 1879.] 

 In a former volume of the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute,* I 

 offered a description of the skeleton of this interesting Southern Ziphioid 

 Whale. I then stated on the authority of the late Mr. F. Fuller, taxider- 

 mist of the Canterbury Museum, who went to secure the skeleton of that 

 specimen, stranded in Lyttelton Harbom', some details about the character- 

 istic form and colom* of the skin of the animal in question. When my 

 informant arrived where the fishermen were at work, he found that the 

 blubber had nearly all been taken off, so that he could only partially obtain 

 the required measm-ements. From the observations I am about to offer to 

 the Society, on two more specimens stranded since then on our sea-beach, it 

 will be seen that some of the statements were far from being correct. 



In fact, the animal was so much cut about that its lower part was taken 

 for the upper, and vice versa, and consequently no dorsal fin could be 

 found where it was looked for. The first of the specimens under review was 

 stranded on Sunday, the 17th of November, 1878, near New Brighton. 

 There were numerous visitors at the time who observed another whale 

 (according to other lookers-on, two whales) in the offing, by which the 

 animal was driven into the surf, where soon it became helpless. Gradually 

 it was drifted upon the low sandy beach, where it died only after a long 

 struggle. Having received prompt information, I arrived early next morn- 

 ing on the scene, and found the animal quite intact, so that I could not only 

 take the necessary measurements, but also have a careful sketch prepared, 

 which, as the sequel will show, is of importance, in offering us some curious 

 information as to the habits of this species of Ziphioids. 



Colour : Head, neck, and anterior portion of the back, as far as the 

 dorsal fin, white ; the rest of the body black ; a white narrow line running 

 along the edge of the dorsal fin, which is otherwise black. The line of 

 division between the two colours is everywhere well marked, except upon 



* Trans. N. Z. Inst., Vol. IX., p. 430, 



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