Hector. — On Delphiniis foreteri. 



85 



Art. XIV. — Kotes on Delphinus forsteri. By James Hector, M.D., F.R.S. 



\_Read lefore the Wellington Philosoj^hlcal Society, 22nd Sejjfember, 1873.] 

 In Marcht last a specimen of DeljjJdnus forsteri, wliicli was cast up on the 

 beach at Lyall Bay, gave me, for the first time, an opportunity of obsei'ving 

 its extei^nal characters and of having a sketch made, which does not, however, 

 differ sufficiently from that copied last year after Forster to make it worth 

 reproduction (Vol. V., PI. 3). Unfortunately the colouring had faded, so that 

 the whole skin was of a dark tint, and the spots on the fins, mentioned by 

 Forster, could not be distinguished. The sknll, however, since prepared agi-ees 

 exactly with that which I have already described as belonging to Forster's 

 Dolphin, although the drawing given in the last volume of Transactions, 

 of the first skull I had, does not show the full width behind the notch. 

 The following are the notes I made of its characters : — 

 Beak shai-ply defined above by a frontal groove. Forehead veiy curved. 

 Fore part of the body fullest. Hind part of the body much compi'essed 

 vertically, being 6 inches in advance of the tail lobes, 6 inches high, and only 

 2 inches thick. Tail strongly keeled, both above and below ; notched. Lower 

 jaw longest. Length of pectoral equal to gape, and greater than height of 

 the dorsal. 



Male. — Total length 



Snout, uj)per surface 



Blow-hole from tip of beak 



Commencement of dorsal at 



Base of dorsal — length 



Height of dorsal (posterior edge being nearly vertical) 



Insertion of pectoral from beak 



Length of pectoral 



Width ,, (constricted at base) 



Generative oi-gans, behind posterior vertical of pectoral 



Width of tail-lobes from tip to tip . . . 



The complete skeleton of this specimen is being prepared, and will be the 

 subject of a further communication. I may say, for the pi'esent, that the 

 intermaxillaries, as in all the skulls of this dolphin I have previously seeii, 

 are united to form a bony tube for fully one-third of their length. 



Ft. 



in. 



7 



2 







5-5 



1 



1-5 



3 



1-5 



1 











8-5 



1 



5-5 



1 











4 







9 



1 



6 



