48G On the Great Rorqual of tie Indian Ocean. [No. 5, 



side of Muskal island. By the assistance of the flood and the surf 

 of the sea, it was brought completely on shore, where, as soon as 

 it was landed, it appeared to be in great distress ; for it roared very 

 loudly, similar to the roar of an old Elephant. As soon as all the 

 Mugh inhabitants, both of Cox's Bazar and Muskal island, heard 

 of the circumstance, they all sallied to the spot, and found that it 

 was a large Whale. They then measured it, and found it to be 

 60 cubits (equal to 90 ft.) long and 28 cubits (equal to 42 ft.) in 

 circumference. They then cut up the animal and each one helped 

 himself to a large portion of the blubber, from which a quantity of 

 oil was extracted. Tiuo flakes of its gill [! flakes of balee?i] were 

 brought to me," remarks the writer, " which are indeed a great 

 curiosity." The foregoing details were obtained from a Mugh 

 Christian, who is not likely to have remarked the presence of a 

 back-fin. 



The other recorded example, stated to have been 84 ft. in length , 

 was thrown up dead upon Juggu or Amherst islet, about 2° further 

 south, during the rainy season of 1851. A few of the bones were 

 collected in the following year by the present Major T. P. Sparkes 5 

 then Asst. Commissioner of Ramri, and were presented by him 

 for the Society's museum. They consist of the two rami of the 

 lower jaw, a right rib (probably the third of the series), the left 

 radius, and. five vertehrce. The proportional length of the radius 

 indicates the animal to have been a Bal^enoptera or Rorqual ; while 

 the remarkable slenderness of the lower jaw suffices to prove it a 

 distinct species from any hitherto described Rorqual. 



The only Whale, indeed, that I can find to bear comparison with 

 it is one described in the JPhilosojyJiical Transactions (Vol. I, 11) 7 

 as cited by Dr. Gray, who refers it to his Megaptera Americana, 

 founded upon the tracing of a drawing of a species stated to be 

 common off the Bermudas (an almost subtropical locality). That 

 Whale is thus described: — "Length of adult 88 ft. ; the pectoral 

 26 ft. (rather less than one-third of the entire length) ; and the 

 tail 23 ft. broad," &c. From the medium length of the radius of 

 the Indian animal, the species must be very different, — in fact 

 a Balvenopteua as distinguished from a typical Megaptera or 

 'Hunch-back.' 



