CATODONTID^. 195 



A. Nostrihlongitudinal, parallel or diverging, covered with a valve, one often 

 larger and nwre developed. Pectoral hroad, truncate. Fingers 6. 

 Physeteroidea. 



FamUy 3. CATODONTIDJE. 



Head large, subeylindrical, blunt. Lower jaw narrow. Teett 

 large, in th.e lower jaw only, fitting into pits ia the gums of the 

 upper one. Nostrils separate, one often abortive. The hinder edge 

 of the maxiUary elevated, forming a concavity on the forehead of 

 the skull. Pectoral broad, truncated. Fingers 5. Eye and Umb 

 of left side smaller ; left nostril very large. The lower jaw is early 

 joined in front into a subeylindrical mass ; the branches converge 

 and nearly straight. 



Delphinia Catodonia (pars), Hq/m. Anal. Nat. 60, 1816. 



Cete Camivora (pars), Lesson, N. Big. Anim. 201. 



Physetereae, Lesson, N. Rkg. Anim. 201. 



Zahnwalle (pars), 0km, Lehrb. Naturg. 672, 1815. 



Physeteridse seu Hypodontia, J. Brookes, Cat. Mm. 38, 1828. 



Catodon, Artedi, Gen. Hscium, 78, lehth. 



Les Cachalots, Duvernoy, Ann. Sci. Nat. 1851, 23. 



Catodontidse, Grag, Cat. Cetac. B. M. 1850, 44; P. Z. S. 1864, 231 ; 



MacLeay, New Sperm Whale, 1851, 63. 

 Phyaeteriens, Oeoff. Leqons, Mamm. 1835, 66. 

 Der Cachalots .(Pnyseter), Schlegel, Abhandl. 24. 

 Physeteridse, Otpen, Cat. Osteol. Mus. Coll. Surg. ii. 442. 



" Upper surface of massive skull concave for the reception of sper- 

 maceti. Nostrils enormously disproportionate in size, the left one 

 the largest. The nasal bones as well as those of the face generally 

 unsymmetrical and distorted. Blowhole externally single (in aU ?). 

 Branches of the toothed lower jaw united ia front by a bony sym- 

 physis, which is always considerably narrower than the toothless 

 upper jaw. Teeth of the under jaw conical, hollow, like those of a 

 crocodile, and fitting into cavities formed in the gum of the upper 

 jaw." — MacLeay, I. e. p. 63. 



" The Cachalots or ' Sperm Whales,' Catodontidce of Dr. Gray, I 

 humbly consider to constitute a subfamily rather of Belphinidw, 

 especially since the discovery of that very remarkable small species, 

 the Ewphysetes Graii of Mr. "W. S. Wa]l."—Blyth. Mr. W. S. Mac- 

 Leay discusses this question in his ' History and Description of a 

 new Sperm Whale,' set up by Mr. W. S. Wall. 



Synopsis op the Geneba. 



1. Head compressed, truncated in front. Blowers in front of upper part 

 of head. SkM elongate. Dorsal hump rounded. 



1. Catodon, 



o2 



