360 



THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XL 



It will be of interest to bring together a few notes on the Arnii- 

 squam and the Long Branch specimens for comparison with other 

 recorded observations on this species. 



A consideraljle variation in the color seems apparent from the 

 accounts of various authors, especially in respect to that of the 



under parts. Turner ('.S!>; summarizes briefly the descriptions 

 given up to that time and concludes that there "can be no doubt 



that this animal is not of the deep black colour on the dorsum 



which one sees in Hyperoodon, but that the (hirk hue is dashed 

 with a bluish tint, so that one may (icx iilx- the picvaihiig colour 

 of the back as dark bluish-gray or l)hiish-.shirc ( (.loiu-. The grey 

 or whitish, almost circular s{)ots. . . arc ohvioiisly also character- 

 istic niarkitinx ,,f skin. Tlic l.cllv i. .i..t white l>ut of various 

 shades of -rev. <la^lic<l pcrliaps with a hhiish tint." Southwell 

 and Ilaniicr 'n:; . Iiou.'vcr. .Icm HI.c the fcniah- branded at Nor- 

 folk. Kii-laiid. Dec. is, is-ii'. as <,f a uniform black color, "not 

 a{)prccia!»lv liiihicr on the belly than on the back," with a "per- 

 ceptible bluish tint on the .skin in a good light." They note also 



