R. BROWN ON THE CETACEA OF GREENLAND. 69 



lY. — On the History and GEOGRArnicAL Relations of the 

 Cetacea frequenting Davis Strait and Baffin's Bay. 

 By Dr. Robert Brown, F.L.S., F.K.G.S. 



[Reprinted, by Permission, from the Proc. ZooL Soc, 1868, 

 No. XXXV., pp. 533-556, with corrections and annotations by 

 the Author, March 1875.] 



I conchide these pnpers on the MammaHa of Greenland and ad- 

 joining seas by a few notes on the order more intimately associated 

 in popular imagination with the Arctic regions than any other, 

 viz. the Cetacea, Though much more imperfectly known than 

 any other group, yet my observations on them will be more brief 

 than on the other Mammals, and for the same reason which has 

 conduced to the present state of Cetology, viz. the want of oppor- 

 tunities of examining the species. These remarks will therefore 

 necessarily consist of a statement of the geographical range and 

 migrations, and a descriptioji of the habits of the better known, 

 and a list of the species, and whatever information can be col- 

 lected on these points regarding the others only known by 

 skeletons or remains in museums. These I have examined care- 

 fully ; and the synonymy given is the result of that study, coupled 

 with investigations made in Greenland. With the exception of 

 a few of the more common, such as Phoccena communis, Beluga 

 catodon, &c., I have not had an opportunity of examining, other- 

 wise than in the manner indicated, most of the species. I have, 

 however, examined at diiferent times above thirty specimens of 

 Balcena mysticeius^ and many of Monodon monoceros ; and to 

 these descriptions I have appended various observations derived 

 from my own examination and without reference to other pub- 

 lished descriptions, which have in nearly every case been derived 

 from the examination of fuetal specimens or isolated individuals, 

 conveying but an imperfect idea of the species. What I said 

 in another memoir equally applies here, viz. that the descriptions 

 are not given as complete, but merely as fragments of a me- 

 moire pour scrvir. Tliose who have attempted the examination 

 of any member of the group Cetacea, and still more those whose 

 lot has been to examine with frozen fingers (plunged every now 

 and again into the warm blood of his subject) such an unwieldy 

 object on a swaying ice-floe, will appreciate the difficulty of 

 drawing up such descriptions ; and to them no apology is neces- 

 sary for their imperfection. The absolute necessity of recording 

 every description of the members of this order however, apparently 

 well known, must be my excuse for presenting these notes in such 

 a disjointed state. In the original draft I had mentioned various 

 particulars now omitted — the recent reproduction by the Ray 

 Sociely of the admirable memoirs of Professors Eschricht, Rein- 

 hardt, and Lilljeborg rendering their publication unnecessary. 



