On the Rib of a Whale found near Cromer, 81 



not daring to come in any house. And it drawing towards night, we 

 resolved to make an attempt to get to brother John's, and accordingly- 

 set forwards, and got up at our pasture head on to the moor, and 

 with difficulty got over Harbourgill, and so forwards to the Mun- 

 keybeck. But we knew that the bridge was broke down, so that we 

 must be obliged to pass it somewhere on the moor, and we waded 

 through the water and snow till we were almost spent in extreme 

 wet and fatigue ; and at last got over a little below where our peat- 

 fell is (tho' with very great hazard of our lives), at last, my poor 

 old Father and Betty being almost quite spent, he having only one 

 shoe on one foot the greatest part of that time. Then when we were 

 got over, it gave us some fresh encouragements, and we arrived at 

 Bro' Johns just before it was dark, where we were thankful to see 

 the faces of one another in a place of more safety. We went three 

 nights successively to Bro' John's to lodge, not daring to stay about 

 the old place. Old Francis Swinbank [red. Swithinbank] and 

 Thomas Stockdale's whole family perished in a moment about the 

 same time that the thing happened with us, being seven in number. 

 Likewise John Burton, Stone House, had a barn swept away and a 

 cow killed. 



" I hope these few broken hints will be excused, for I am not very 

 good at writing at this time, all being so in confusion. Sr. greatly 

 desires you would come to see us as soon as well can. For our love 

 is very much towards you. You perhaps may think I have out- 

 stretched, but if you please to come your eyes will convince you to 

 the contrary. For I have not told you one half. So shall conclude 

 your very loving Brother, 



"Thomas Thistlethwaite." 



" Betty's kind love is to you both, but Sr. in particular." 



Mr. J. W. Clark, Trinity College, read a paper upon the Rib of a 

 Whale found by some fishermen near Sherringham (four miles N.W. 

 of Cromer). It was discovered after a high tide, which caused a 

 fall of the cliff; it was reported to have been imbedded in drift gravel. 

 Mr. Clark stated he had compared it with the rib of Physalus, with 

 which it did not agree ; for the tubercle and head of the rib were 

 very much wider apart in the fossil specimen than in Physalus. It 

 resembled Balcenoptera more nearly, and still more closely Balana 

 mysticetus. It was probably the fourth or fifth rib of the left side. 

 He remarked that a few months since some cervical vertebrae had 

 been found at Plymouth which probably belonged to Balcena 

 Biscayensis, a whale which was nearly extirpated in the sixteenth 

 century. It was, however, still occasionally met with, a cow and 

 cub being not long since seen near Pampeluna, and the latter cap- 

 tured. He could not positively refer the rib exhibited to any known 

 species. 



Professor Sedgwick remarked that large cetacean vertebrae had 

 been found at Landbeach, Cambridgeshire, and in the Crag of Nor- 

 folk and Suffolk. This was the largest rib that he had ever seen; 

 but he had great doubt, from its general appearance, whether it 

 could have come out of the gravel. 



. Mr. Newton remarked that our knowledge of whales had of late 

 Phil. Mag. S. 4. Vol. 31. No. 206. Jan. 1866. G 



