No. 453 ] OBSERVATIONS ON RORQUALS. 619 



median ridge toward the tip of the snout. In the dead animal, 

 however, there is hardly more than this slight suggestion of the 

 nasal ridges which are so prominent in life. 



The form of the spout, in both the Sulphur-bottom and the 

 Finback whale, unless distorted by the wind, is that of a simple 

 column, narrow at the base and gradually increasing in diameter 

 with the height, like a jet of steam forced through a small open- 

 ing. Such a spout is .shown fairly well \w l-'igurc i, I'latc 1 , of 

 Racovitza's (:03) paper. The views obtained by the present 

 writer all show the effect of the light wind blowing at the time, 

 in that the vapor is carried off to leeward to a greater or less 



extent. Figure 3 shows the spout of a Sulphur-bottom which 

 is fast by a line to the whaling steamer. This x iew shows the 

 general outline of the column, with a slightly rounded top. 

 Figure 4 shows a spout of an irregular outline ironi tlu- same 

 whale at closer range. The two harpoon lines by which it is 

 fast to the vessel are seen at the lower right hand. The top 

 of the column is of thin vapor and is being wafted away by the 

 breeze. The lower part of the column is much denser and some- 

 what in the form of an inverted cone. Possibl\- the irregular 

 shape may be in part due to a slight wave brcakmg o\cr the 

 animal's head as it commenced to si)out. 



The height to which the larger rorquals spout varies consider- 



