76 UNICORN NARWHAL. Class IV. 



communicated by Sir Joseph Banks to de la Ce- 

 pede, who describes it (unnecessarily) as a di- 

 stinct species under the name of le Narwal 

 Microcephale, and ignorant of English geogra- 

 phy, has transferred the place of its discovery to 

 Boston in America. 



Another was found on the beach of the Sound of 

 TVeesdale in Zetland in September 1808, and has 

 been accurately described by the reverend John 

 Fleming in the Memoirs of the Wernerian So- 

 ciety. It measured only twelve feet from the 

 snout to the notch which divides the tail ; the 

 external length of the tooth was twenty-seven 

 inches, of the part inserted in the socket twelve 

 inches ; the head occupied a seventh part of the 

 total length of the body ; the forehead, on which 

 was a mass of fat like a cushion, rose suddenly 

 from the snout; on an elevated part above 

 were placed the spiracles or blozv-holes, which 

 were separated in their passage through the 

 skull, but united before they reached the exter- 

 nal opening. The back swelled gradually to 

 within a few inches beyond the pectoral fins; 

 on the belly was a ridge which extended from the 

 anus to the tail; on the back was a corresponding 

 ridge and two on the sides, which gave the pos- 

 terior part of the body a quadrangular appear- 

 ance. The mouth was rather pointed, the 



