Royal Physical Society. 443 



whitish-brown colour, the laminae 2 inches broad, placed close 

 together, smooth and concave externally, and shelving off 

 from their inner edge. The longest, about 5 inches, were 

 placed at the posterior half of the jaw, the two rows curved 

 backwards and inwards towards each other before the en- 

 trance to the oesophagus, becoming gradually shorter as they 

 advanced forwards to the anterior part of the upper jaw. 

 These plates were fringed on their inner margins with hair of 

 a like colour hanging about an inch beyond their free extre- 

 mities. This animal was a male. 



The external characters and measurements agreed with the 

 descriptions given of the Lesser Rorqual, the Balainoptera 

 Rosirata of the British Museum Catalogue for 1850. With 

 the exception of a yellowish-red colour given to the baleen, 

 and a too strongly marked line of distinction between the 

 black and white on the outer part of the pectoral fins (which 

 are also too long proportionally), the figure of Dr Knox's 

 Rorqualus minor, in Sir Wm. Jardine's "Naturalists' Libra- 

 ry," exhibits a very fair representation of the appearance this 

 specimen presented. The tongue, of enormous size, rose up 

 from the under surface of the mouth, nearly filling the whole 

 interior, and extended backwards in the form of a great, thick, 

 fleshy cushion, with a free portion projecting from the fore 

 and upper part about a foot or more. The lateral edges ad- 

 hered to the sides of the mouth, admitting only of a very limited 

 motion, the enlargement of the mouth appearing to depend 

 upon the dilatile extension of the external skin and longitu- 

 dinal plicae. In the mouth and tongue decomposition began 

 to manifest itself about the fourth or fifth day. 



The spirited proprietor, Mr Laird, decided on having so 

 perfect a specimen preserved to science, if a taxidermist 

 could be found to undertake the task. This was most success- 

 fully accomplished by Mr Sanderson, of George Street, Edin- 

 burgh, and his assistant, Mr James Keddie, after a great 

 amount of labour, occupying several weeks. And it is to these 

 able workmen that we now owe the permanent preservation of 

 the external characters of a fin-baleen whale, nearly 15 feet 

 long, with the baleen plates complete, and in their natural 

 position. 



