No. 473] 



SOWERBY'S WHALE 



361 



the light streaks and blotches "most numerous on the side and 

 ventral surface." The large fetus contained in this specimen 

 was a male and had the under parts "white." W. Rothschild 

 ('93) accordingly suggests that it may prove in this species that 

 the males have the belly white, while the females have this region 

 of much the same color as the back and sides, save for the light 

 blotches already mentioned. The Long Branch female seems to 

 be of this latter type of coloration. Grieg ('98) found that the 

 male taken at Karmo was colored much as Rothschild describes, 

 with the back a blue-gray becoming lighter on the belly, which 

 was nowhere pure white but tinged with reddish. The clear color 

 of the belly extended from the gular folds to the genital openings 

 and there were none of the roundish circular spots to be discovered. 

 Evidently the coloration was much like that of the Havre specimen 

 figured by Dumortier ('39). Most of the recorded specimens, 

 howe\'er, have not been examined while in a fresh condition by a 

 trained naturalist and the few descriptions of the external colora- 

 tion are insufficient to settle the question of a sexual dimorphism 

 in this respect. 



Regarding the Annisquam specimen, no color notes were taken, 

 but from a few small photographs in the possession of the Boston 

 Society of Xatnral History, it appears evident that the ventral por- 

 tion ^\ as of a lighter tint, and in one of the views a few oval whitish 

 spots live seen on the side a trifle behind the middle portion of the 

 body. Another view shows the convexity of the posterior margin 

 of the flukes at the median point as well as the prominent dorsal 

 fin. The lower jaw protruded slightly beyond the upper. Meas- 

 urements of this specimen, as noted by Professor Hyatt, are as 

 follows: total length, 12 feet, 2 inches; from anus to bight of flukes, 

 3 feet, 4 to 6 inches; across the flukes, 3 feet, 1 inch; from tip of 

 rostrum to angle of mouth, 1 foot, 1-^ inches. The gular furrows 

 were noted as about 10 inches long and from } to I an inch deep. 



The bones of the Annisquam specimen were niacenite(l and 

 cleaned, and are now preserved in the collection of the Boston 

 Society of Natural History. The skeleton presents several points 

 of considerable interest and through the kindness of Mr. Charles 

 W. Johnson, the curator of the Society's museum, I have been 

 enabled to make the following notes. 



The skull shows the specimen to have been rather immature as 



