Haast. — On Euphysetes pottsii. 99 



Inches. 

 Entire length of craniu m ... ... ... 13-5 



Greatest breadtli of cranium at parietal region ... 11-2 



Beak from notch — length ... ... ... 5-2 



,, breadth at notch ... ... ... 6-1 



Length of beak at occipital bone .. . ... ... 5 "5 



Breadth ,, ,, >) ••• ••■ ••• 6*8 



From these measurements it will be seen that the beak is shorter than 

 broad, but not quite so much truncated and blunt as Gray's whale. 



However, the most characteristic feature in the skull is the non -symmetry 

 of the bones, which make it appear at first sight that we have a remarkable 

 case of deformity before us. MacLeay has given a masterly description of 

 those anomalies, and has shown how, by the great development of some bones, 

 such as the right intermaxillary, and by the stunted form of others, these 

 striking contortions are brought about, by which that remarkable asymmetry 

 is caiised, to which I can add nothing, as his description agrees entirely with 

 our New Zealand skull. 



The blow-holes are exceedingly disproportionate in size, the right one being 

 scarcely the tenth part of an inch in diameter, whilst the left is nearly fifteen 

 times as large, of an oblong form, being 1 -5 inch long and 1 "12 inch broad. The 

 rami of the lower jaw are very thin and fragile, and have, like Gray's whale, 

 scarcely any condyles. It agrees also with the latter, except in the position of 

 the teeth, having thirteen on each side, which are described by MacLeay as 

 projecting horizontally and being curved upwards. In the ISTew Zealand 

 species they have the same slender conical form, but stand out sideways with 

 their points curved inward, the last tooth on each side, however, being curved 

 forward, its hook nearly touching the preceding one. The two first teeth on 

 each side stand nearly perpendicularly to the jaw, whilst the rest incline 

 slightly backward, with the exception of the last tooth, which has again a 

 pterpendicular position. All these teeth fit into sockets on both sides of the 

 roof of the mouth provided for their reception in the gums. However, 

 these minor deviations would not constitute such a specific difierence as to 

 separate it from the Australian species, did not the rest of the skeleton present 

 such marked differences. 



MacLeay states that Gray's Euphysetes has 52 vertebrse, but I find that 

 there must be some mistake in the enumeration of the different forms of 

 vertebrse, because, when added, they only amount to 51, viz. : — 7 cervical, 

 14 dorsal, 9 lumbar, 21 caudal, of which 13 have chevron bones attached — 

 51 together. 



The number of the vertebras of the New Zealand Eujihysetes is one less, 

 namely, 50 ; moreover, they are differently arranged. Its 7 cervical vertcbi-aj 



