﻿390 
  PBOCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  [May 
  25, 
  

  

  Professor 
  Eschricht's 
  excellent 
  memoir, 
  entitled 
  " 
  Zoologisch-ana- 
  

   tomisch-physiologische 
  Untersuchungen 
  iiber 
  die 
  nordischen 
  Wal- 
  

   thiere," 
  appeared 
  in 
  1849, 
  and 
  contains, 
  at 
  p. 
  50, 
  the 
  following 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  remarks 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  present 
  question 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  "While 
  Delphinus 
  micropterus* 
  was 
  still 
  known 
  only 
  very 
  imper- 
  

   fectly 
  through 
  Sowerby's 
  observations, 
  Cuvier 
  had 
  recognized 
  cer- 
  

   tain 
  much 
  -mutilated 
  fossil 
  skulls 
  (not 
  only 
  devoid 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  jaw, 
  

   but 
  wanting 
  the 
  whole 
  occiput, 
  the 
  pterygoids, 
  and 
  palatines), 
  

   merely 
  by 
  the 
  narrowing 
  of 
  the 
  anterior 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  jaw 
  and 
  

   the 
  absence 
  of 
  alveoli, 
  to 
  be 
  skulls 
  of 
  Cetacea, 
  nearly 
  allied 
  to 
  the 
  

   Bottlenose 
  \Hypero'6don\ 
  though 
  they 
  lacked 
  the 
  osseous 
  maxillary 
  

   crests 
  so 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  latter. 
  He 
  called 
  them 
  all 
  Ziphius, 
  

   though 
  the 
  fragmentary 
  specimens 
  differed 
  considerably 
  from 
  one 
  

   another. 
  

  

  " 
  By 
  this 
  beautiful 
  discovery 
  of 
  Cuvier, 
  therefore, 
  among 
  the 
  few 
  

   fossil 
  Cetacea 
  three 
  species 
  were 
  made 
  known, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  belong 
  to 
  

   a 
  little 
  group 
  at 
  present 
  represented 
  by 
  only 
  two 
  species. 
  The 
  Bot- 
  

   tlenose 
  and 
  the 
  Delphinus 
  micropterus 
  thus 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  scanty 
  

   remnant 
  of 
  an 
  ancient 
  large 
  group 
  of 
  Cetacea 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  probably 
  for 
  

   this 
  reason 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  at 
  present 
  so 
  isolated. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  without 
  

   significance 
  for 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  animal 
  world, 
  that 
  this 
  

   should 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  a 
  group 
  which 
  very 
  definitely 
  belongs 
  to 
  

   the 
  Teuthophaga. 
  

  

  " 
  This 
  group, 
  consisting 
  of 
  the 
  Bottlenose, 
  the 
  Delphinus 
  micro- 
  

   pterus, 
  and 
  the 
  different 
  species 
  of 
  Ziphius, 
  corresponds 
  perfectly 
  

   with 
  the 
  edentulous 
  Dolphins 
  of 
  Schlegel 
  and 
  the 
  Hyperobdontina 
  of 
  

   Gray." 
  

  

  Professor 
  Eschricht 
  then 
  proposes 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  llhynclioceti, 
  or 
  

   "beaked 
  whales," 
  for 
  this 
  group. 
  " 
  Hyperoodon" 
  he 
  changes 
  into 
  

   "Choenocetus" 
  as 
  the 
  " 
  Bottlenose 
  "Whale 
  " 
  has, 
  strictly 
  speaking, 
  no 
  

   palatine 
  teeth. 
  But 
  I 
  cannot 
  think 
  this 
  alteration 
  is 
  justifiable 
  ; 
  for 
  

   the 
  palatine 
  rugosities 
  of 
  the 
  Bottlenose 
  are 
  sufficient 
  to 
  bear 
  out 
  the 
  

   name 
  ; 
  and 
  even 
  were 
  it 
  otherwise, 
  the 
  expediency 
  of 
  altering 
  well- 
  

   established 
  generic 
  names, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  some 
  error 
  in 
  their 
  signifi- 
  

   cation, 
  appears 
  to 
  me 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  doubtful. 
  

  

  Professor 
  A 
  . 
  Wagner 
  had 
  already 
  proposed 
  to 
  distinguish 
  Delphi- 
  

   nus 
  micropterus 
  subgenerically 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Micropterus. 
  This 
  

   name 
  Eschricht 
  modifies, 
  on 
  etymological 
  grounds, 
  into 
  " 
  Micro- 
  

   pteron" 
  and 
  concludes 
  thus 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  fossil 
  Rhynchoceti 
  have 
  hitherto 
  all 
  been 
  called 
  Ziphius 
  ; 
  

   very 
  probably, 
  fuller 
  knowledge 
  will 
  oblige 
  us 
  to 
  range 
  them 
  in 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  two 
  genera 
  which 
  are 
  still 
  living, 
  viz. 
  Micropteron. 
  The 
  

   name 
  Ziphius 
  should, 
  probably, 
  therefore 
  be 
  regarded 
  only 
  as 
  a 
  tem- 
  

   porary 
  one, 
  unless, 
  if 
  the 
  fossils 
  should 
  be 
  identified 
  generieally 
  with 
  

   recent 
  forms, 
  the 
  older 
  Cuvierian 
  name 
  of 
  Ziphius 
  should 
  be 
  pre- 
  

   ferred 
  to 
  the 
  new 
  one." 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Gray 
  identifies 
  Ziphius 
  generieally 
  with 
  the 
  living 
  Physeter 
  

  

  * 
  Eschricht 
  considers 
  the 
  Physeter 
  bidens 
  of 
  Sowerby 
  to 
  be 
  only 
  the 
  male 
  

   Delphinus 
  micropterus. 
  

  

  