52 
“ Extract of log of Lieut. Edgar Drummond, ship “ Daedalus,” August 
6th, 1848, lat. 25° S.,long. 9° 37' E. At about 5 p.m., observed a most 
remarkable fish on the quarter, crossing the stern in a S.W. direction; 
appearance of the head, which, with back jin was the only portion of the 
animal visible, long, pointed, and flattened on the top, perhaps ten feet long, 
upper jaw projecting considerably; fin perhaps twenty feet in rear of the 
head, and visible occasionally. * * % * The upper part of the head and. 
shoulders appeared of a dark brown colour, and beneath the under jaw 
a brownish white. It pursued a steady and undeviating course, keeping 
its head horizontal with the water, and in rather a raised position, dis¬ 
appearing occasionally beneath the wave, and not apparently for purposes 
of respiration. It was going at the rate of twelve or fourteen miles an 
hour, and, when nearest, was perhaps 100 yards off, and in fact gave one 
quite the idea of a large snake or eel. No one in the ship had ever seen 
any thing similar, so at least it is extraordinary. Visible to the naked 
eye five minutes, and with the glass fifteen more. Weather dark and 
squally, with some sea running.” 
In a former section of this Essay, was described a rare species of whale, 
called the Havre whale, a representation of which, copied from the Na¬ 
turalists’ Library, is given in plate 2, fig 1. On the authority of that work, it 
was stated that this was the only known individual of the species. In 
the appendix of Ross Browne’s Whaling Cruise, may be found an enu¬ 
meration of the various species of cete, known to the whalers of the 
southern seas. Beale and Shaw are quoted as the authorities for the 
descriptions; but they thus have the additional value of the confirmation 
of a practical whaler. The two following species frequent the Southern 
Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. “The rostrated mysticete: by far the smallest 
as well as most elegant of the mysticete or whalebone whales, being only 
known to attain twenty feet; head, upper part of back and fins, and tail dark 
or bluish brown, but sides and abdomen of beautiful white, with a very 
slight tinge of pale rose, or flesh colour, and are marked for more than 
half the length of the animal by very numerous longitudinal plaits or 
furrows; eyes small, also the head and snout much more elongated than in 
any other species, generally tapering to the extremity, which is slightly 
pointed; back fin small, situated no great distance from the tail; pectoral 
fins small and narrow, and tail divided into longish or pointed lobes. 
The whole animal has an elegant fish-like form, and has none of that 
uncouth appearance which prevails in the larger species.” 
