﻿1864.] 
  HUXLEY 
  ZIPHIUS. 
  393 
  

  

  Up 
  to 
  this 
  time 
  only 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  Belemnozipliius 
  have 
  been 
  de- 
  

   scribed, 
  B. 
  longirostris 
  (Ziphius 
  longirostris, 
  Cuv.) 
  and 
  B. 
  Becanii 
  

   (Dioplodon 
  Becanii, 
  Gervais 
  and 
  Yan 
  Beneden). 
  In 
  the 
  British 
  

   Museum, 
  however, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  fine 
  collection 
  of 
  rostra 
  belonging 
  to 
  

   Cetaceans 
  of 
  this 
  genus, 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  named 
  by 
  Professor 
  Owen 
  

   Ziphius 
  angustus, 
  Z. 
  gibbus, 
  Z. 
  declivus, 
  Z. 
  angulatus, 
  Z. 
  planus, 
  and 
  

   Z. 
  undatus. 
  Though, 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  any 
  published 
  description 
  

   of 
  these 
  forms, 
  the 
  names 
  have 
  no 
  authority, 
  I 
  should 
  have 
  been 
  

   glad 
  to 
  adopt 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  for 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  am 
  about 
  to 
  

   give 
  an 
  account, 
  had 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  specimens 
  appeared 
  

   to 
  be 
  specifically 
  identical 
  with 
  it. 
  This, 
  however, 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  case, 
  

   and 
  therefore 
  I 
  propose 
  to 
  confer 
  upon 
  the 
  new 
  specimen 
  the 
  name 
  

   of 
  Belemnozipliius 
  compressus. 
  

  

  Belemnoziphius 
  coiipbessus, 
  sp. 
  nov. 
  PI. 
  XIX. 
  figs. 
  A, 
  B, 
  C, 
  D. 
  

  

  The 
  fossil 
  in 
  question 
  was 
  obtained 
  by 
  George 
  Tomline, 
  Esq., 
  

   M.P., 
  from 
  a 
  quarry 
  upon 
  his 
  estate, 
  on 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  " 
  Blackheath," 
  

   three 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  Ipswich 
  in 
  Suffolk, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  worked 
  for 
  the 
  

   so-called 
  " 
  Coprolites 
  "; 
  and 
  which, 
  I 
  am 
  assured 
  by 
  Sir 
  K. 
  I. 
  Mur- 
  

   chison, 
  is 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  Red 
  Crag. 
  

  

  The 
  specimen 
  is 
  very 
  heavy, 
  and 
  has 
  the 
  characteristic 
  aspect 
  of 
  

   Crag 
  fossils. 
  It 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  lain 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  

   for 
  some 
  time 
  before 
  fossilization, 
  as 
  its 
  surface 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  

   superficial 
  hemispherical 
  pits, 
  apparently 
  P7w 
  fas-borings. 
  

  

  The 
  singular 
  density 
  of 
  the 
  bony 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  snout 
  of 
  the 
  

   ancient 
  Dolphin 
  readily 
  accounts 
  for 
  the 
  relatively 
  little 
  wear 
  and 
  

   tear 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  undergone, 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  small 
  success 
  of 
  the 
  animals 
  

   which 
  attempted 
  to 
  tunnel 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  specimen 
  is 
  14*8 
  inches 
  long, 
  and 
  is 
  broken 
  at 
  both 
  ends. 
  

   Anteriorly 
  it 
  is 
  flattened 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  side, 
  and 
  much 
  deeper 
  than 
  

   wide; 
  posteriorly, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  it 
  is 
  flattened 
  from 
  above 
  

   downwards, 
  and 
  wider 
  than 
  it 
  is 
  deep. 
  Its 
  whole 
  upper 
  face 
  is 
  con- 
  

   vex 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  side 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  convexity 
  is 
  but 
  little 
  marked 
  poste- 
  

   riorly, 
  where 
  the 
  upper 
  face 
  ends, 
  at 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  and 
  

   middle 
  thirds 
  of 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  bone, 
  in 
  a 
  well-defined 
  lateral 
  

   ridge. 
  The 
  section 
  of 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  rostrum 
  is 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  triangle, 
  

   with 
  the 
  base 
  turned 
  upwards. 
  The 
  lateral 
  ridges 
  descend 
  as 
  they 
  

   pass 
  forwards, 
  until, 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  specimen, 
  

   they 
  are 
  situated 
  opposite 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  its 
  depth; 
  beyond 
  this 
  

   point 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  each 
  ridge 
  is 
  continued 
  by 
  a 
  well-marked 
  

   groove, 
  which 
  already 
  exists 
  as 
  a 
  canal 
  underneath 
  the 
  ridge, 
  and 
  

   opens 
  on 
  the 
  fractured 
  hinder 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  specimen. 
  As 
  the 
  

   lateral 
  ridges 
  die 
  away 
  anteriorly, 
  and 
  the 
  rostrum 
  becomes 
  more 
  

   flattened 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  side, 
  its 
  section 
  acquires 
  a 
  vertically 
  elongated 
  

   oval 
  outline. 
  Posteriorly 
  the 
  upper 
  contour 
  is 
  slightly 
  convex, 
  and 
  

   then 
  sweeps, 
  with 
  a 
  slight 
  concavity, 
  to 
  its 
  distal 
  third, 
  which 
  has 
  a 
  

   well-defined 
  upward 
  convexity. 
  

  

  Inferiorly 
  and 
  anteriorly 
  the 
  longitudinal 
  contour 
  is 
  convex; 
  but 
  

   in 
  its 
  posterior 
  third 
  it 
  is 
  sharply 
  concave. 
  The 
  anterior 
  third 
  of 
  

   the 
  inferior 
  surface 
  is 
  smooth, 
  flattened, 
  and 
  triangular, 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  

  

  