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IX. — On Ziphius Sowerbiensis. By "William Andeews, Esq. 

 [Abstract.] 



[Read April 8, 1867.] 



In the year 1800 was cast ashore on the coast of Elginshire, Scotland, 

 a fine specimen of a Cetacean, which Mr. Brodie, of Brodie House, near 

 whose place it was stranded, considered to be so novel, and so strange 

 in its characters, that he sent a description of the animal, with the 

 skull, jaws, and teeth, to Mr. James Sowerby, of London. 



This led to a most interesting discussion among the savans at a 

 soiree at Sir Joseph Banks' ; and, as no Cetacean of the kind had ever 

 been recorded, it was named "Physeter bidens," from the peculiarity 

 of having only two teeth — one in the central part of each inferior max- 

 illary. This rare Cetacean proved to be a male. 



In the year 1804 was discovered on the coast of Provence, in the 

 fossil state, a portion of the skull and jaws of a dolphin, which the 

 eminent Cuvier decided to be a species that had no recent existence, 

 but was a relic of a destroyed creation. Erom that specimen Cuvier 

 formed the genus Ziphius, terming the species cavirostris. 



In 1809 were detected, when digging the basin at Antwerp, other 

 fossils allied to the same genus. The portions of the rostri or beaks, 

 having, however, some characteristic differences, caused Cuvier to con- 

 stitute two other species " longirostris" and " planirostris." 



The skull, with the jaws of Sowerby's Cetacean, had been placed 

 in the Museum at Oxford. Erom that specimen Doctor J. E. Gray, 

 E. E. S., of the British Museum, and who has published so valuable a 

 catalogue of all known Cetacea, had figured, Physeter bidens, in the 

 Zoology of the " Erebus " and " Terror." De Blainville, when visiting 

 England, on seeing those figures, at once recognised Sowerby's animal as 

 identical with Cuvier's fossijs genus Ziphius; and the fact was so com- 

 pletely established, as to decide that Physeter bidens was an original dis- 

 covery in the living state of a Cetacean that was supposed to have had no 

 existence. Hence became recorded in our Eauna the genus Ziphius, 

 and the species Sowerbiensis. 



In September, 1825, was stranded at Havre a species of dolphin 

 new to science, which M. de Blainville described, as Delphinorhynchus 

 dalei ; and the following year, 1826, was cast ashore at the mouth of the 

 Orne, Calvados, another of the same species. 



Du Mortier described as Delphinorhynchus micropterus one that 

 had been cast ashore in August, 1835, near the port of Ostend. Ano- 

 ther, agreeing with Cuvier's Delphinorhynchus micropterus, was taken 

 at the mouth of the Seine. 



These were all females, and have been described by Continental 

 authorities under different generic and specific appellations. 



It is, however, clearly seen that they are all of the same genus and 

 species ; and, although recorded by Erench zoologists as distinct from 



