Supplement to the catalogue of seals and whales in the British Museum

Dorsal fin low, broad; pectoral fin very long, with four very long fingers of many phalanges. Vertebræ 50 or 60; cervical vertebræ often anchylosed. Lateral process of the axis tardily ossified. Neural canal large, high, triangular. Ribs 14 or 15.

1. MEGAPTERA.

Bladebone without acromion or coracoid process. Body of cervical vertebræ subcircular.

1. Megaptera longimana.

B.M.

Inhab. North Sea.

2. Megaptera Novæ-Zelandiæ.

B.M.

Inhab. New Zealand. Ear-bones in Brit. Mus.

3. Megaptera? Burmeisteri.

Inhab. Buenos Ayres. Skeleton, Mus. Buenos Ayres.

4. Megaptera americana.

Inhab. Bermuda.

“The norwega is a Humpback which has the belly white and smooth (?), back very dark bluish, length 50 to 55 feet. This whale gives more oil than the mystica.”—Hartt, Geology & Physical Geography of Brazil, p. 182.

“The whalebone is short, and sells well. The beach on which the whales are cut up is strewed during the season with bones. There must be the bones of 500 whales on the spot. The fishery is carried on at Bahia on a much larger scale than at Caravellas.”—L. c. p. 185.

5. Megaptera kuzira.

Inhab. Japan. Skull, Mus. Leyden.

6. Megaptera osphyia.

Inhab. Atlantic. Skeleton. Mus. Niagara.

“A second and more full examination of the Megaptera osphyia, Cope, furnishes the following additional points and characters. The specimen is young, and measures in its present condition 34 feet. It has, however, lost a considerable number of caudal vertebræ, and, from the posterior part of the column, of intervertebral cartilages also; add to this the shrinking of the cartilages preserved, and the increase of length would perhaps amount to 8 feet, giving 42 in all. The asserted length of 50 feet, line measurement, which I quoted in my original description, is no doubt an exaggeration.

“The glenoid process is margined by an angular prominence, the rudiment of the coracoid, precisely as in the M. brasiliensis. The diapophysis of the atlas is a flat vertical plate, extending from opposite the base of the foramen dentatum to opposite the widest point of the spinal canal; inferior posterior outline of the atlas broad, slightly concave mesially. The mandible is peculiar in the strong angular process, which extends from behind, round the side, projecting as far as the condyle, and separated from it by a deep groove. The third and fourth cervicals are united by the neural arch. The first rib is very broad at the extremity; length 37 inches, width at end 8·22 inches. The orbital processes of the frontal bone are not contracted at the extremities as in M. longimana, but are more as in Balænopteræ; entire width over and within edge of orbit 15½ in.; length to vertical plate of maxillary 31 inches. The baleen measures 2 feet in length, is black, with three rows of coarse bristles. Its base is one curve; its length is spirally twisted. The species is probably one of the largest of the Balænidæ.”—Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1868, p. 194.

7. Megaptera versabilis.

Inhab. North Pacific, Californian coast.

2. POESCOPIA.

Bladebone with small coracoid process. Body of cervical vertebræ nearly square.

1. Poescopia Lalandii.

B.M.

Inhab. Cape of Good Hope. Skeleton, Mus. Paris.

3. ESCHRICHTIUS.

Bladebone with large coracoid process. Body of cervical vertebræ separate, small, roundish-oblong. The neural canal very broad and high.

1. Eschrichtius robustus.

B.M.

Inhab. North Sea; coast of Devonshire, Sweden; Atlantic.

“The Eschrichtius robustus is admitted on the evidence of a ramus of the under jaw in the Museum, Rutger’s College, which is of peculiar form, and closely resembles the figure given by Lilljeborg of that portion of this rare species.”—Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. 1868, p. 194.

Family 4. PHYSALIDÆ. Finner Whales.

Dorsal fin high, erect, compressed, falcate, about three-fourths the entire length from the nose. Pectoral fin moderate, with four short fingers of four or six phalanges. Vertebræ 55 or 64. Cervical vertebræ not anchylosed. Neural canal oblong, transverse.

* Vertebræ 60 or 64; first rib single-headed (cf. p. 54).

1. BENEDENIA.

Rostrum of skull narrow, attenuated, with straight slanting edges. Second cervical vertebra with two short truncated lateral processes. The first rib single-headed.

1. Benedenia Knoxii.

B.M.

Inhab. North Sea, coast of Wales.

2. PHYSALUS.

Rostrum of the skull narrow, attenuated, with straight sloping sides. Second cervical vertebra with a broad lateral process, with a large perforation at the base. First rib single-headed. Sternum trifoliate, with a long slender hind process. Fingers shorter than the forearm-bones. Scapula very broad; acromion and coracoid process well developed.

† Lateral rings of the second cervical vertebra as long as the diameter of the body of the vertebra.—Gray, l. c. p. 374; Synops. Whales & Dolph. p. 2.

1. Physalus antiquorum.

B.M.

Ribs 14·14.

Inhab. North Sea, Greenland, Hampshire, &c.

2. Physalus Duguidii.

Ribs 15·15.

Inhab. North Sea, Orkneys.

†† The lateral rings of the cervical vertebræ shorter than the diameter of the bodies of the vertebræ.—Gray, l. c. p. 374; Synops. Whales & Dolph. p. 2.

3. Physalus patachonicus.

Inhab. River Plata.

4. Physalus brasiliensis.

B.M.

Inhab. Bahia.

“Mystica differs from the norwega in having the back black and the belly and throat furrowed. Sometimes there are white spots on the side.

“The first Whales appear in the Abrolhos waters at about the end of May, and they stay until October. The females often bring young calves with them, and appear to seek the shelter of the reefs. The headquarters of the Abrolhos fishery is at Caravellas, or, rather, at the mouth of the river Caravellas, where are situated the armações or trying-houses.”—E. Hartt, Geology and Physical Geography of Brazil, p. 182.

“The fishery begins at Bahia, according to Castelnau (Expédition dans l’Amérique du Sud, tome i. p. 750), about the 13th of June, and lasts till the 21st September. At Caravellas I was assured that the Whales always appeared later than at Bahia, and the fishery does not always begin until the last week in June, continuing through the month of September.”—E. Hartt.

3. CUVIERIUS.

Rostrum of the skull broad, the outer sides curved, especially in front. The second cervical vertebra with two short, thick lateral processes. First rib single-headed. Sternum oblong-ovate, transverse. Hands elongate; fingers slender, second finger much longer than the forearm-bone. Scapula with a broad acromion and a rudimentary coracoid.

1. Cuvierius Sibbaldii.

B.M.

Inhab. North Sea. Mus. Hull.

The great northern Rorqual of Knox probably belongs to this species. Its skeleton is in the Edinburgh Museum.

** Vertebræ 58-60. First and second ribs double-headed (cf. p. 52); second cervical vertebræ with a broad lateral process, perforated at the base. Lower jaw compressed, with distinct coronoid process.—Sibbaldius, Gray, l. c. pp. 114, 169; Synops. Whales & Dolph. p. 3.

4. RUDOLPHIUS.

Dorsal fin compressed, falcate, two-thirds the entire length from the nose. Ribs 13·13; first rib short, dilated at the external end. Sternum elongate, not narrow at posterior lobe. Fingers elongate; the second finger rather shorter than the forearm-bone. Scapula very broad, with a large broad acromion process and a moderate coracoid one.

1. Rudolphius laticeps.

B.M.

Inhab. North Sea.

Nose of skull more than twice the length of brain-cavity from the nasal bones.

5. SIBBALDIUS.

Dorsal fin very small, far behind, and placed on a thick prominence. Ribs 14·14; first short, sternal end very broad and deeply notched. Sternum trifoliate, with a short broad hinder lobe. Scapula broad, with very long acromion and short slender coracoid process. Fingers —?

1. Sibbaldius borealis.

Inhab. North Sea.

Mr. Flower considers B. borealis, Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1866, p. 297, from North Atlantic, as very nearly allied to Balænoptera Schlegelii.

2. Sibbaldius Schlegelii.

Inhab. Java.

Cervical vertebræ separate (t. 14. f. 5-12); the second with a broad short lateral expansion, having a moderate-sized oblong perforation. Beak of skull very long, three and a half times the length of the brain-cavity.

3. Sibbaldius? antarcticus.

Inhab. Buenos Ayres.

Van Beneden regards it as a doubtful species.

4. Sibbaldius sulphureus.

Dorsal fin very far back.

Inhab. North Pacific, north-west coast of America, California.

5. Sibbaldius tectirostris.

Inhab. North Pacific. Skeleton, Mus. Philad.

6. Sibbaldius tuberosus.

Inhab. North-east coast of America.

Family 5. BALÆNOPTERIDÆ. Pike Whales.

Dorsal fin high, erect, compressed, about two-thirds of the entire length from the nose. Pectoral fin moderate, with four short fingers. Vertebræ 50; cervical vertebræ sometimes anchylosed. Neural canal broad, trigonal. Ribs 11·11. The second cervical vertebra with a broad lateral expansion, perforated at the base. First rib single-headed. Lower jaw with a conical coronoid process.

1. BALÆNOPTERA.

The lower lateral processes of the third to the seventh cervical vertebræ with an angular projection on the lower edges. Fingers short, the length of the forearm-bone.

Scapula broad; acromion and coracoid elongate, slender.

1. Balænoptera rostrata.

B.M.

Inhab. North Sea.

2. Balænoptera velifera.

Dorsal fin large.

Inhab. Oregon (Finner Whale); California, Queen Charlotte’s Sound.

2. SWINHOIA.

The lower lateral processes of the third to the sixth cervical vertebræ slender, regularly curved, without any prominent angle on the lower edge.

1. Swinhoia chinensis.

B.M.

Inhab. Formosa.

Section II. DENTICETE (cf. p. 35).

Teeth well developed in one or both jaws, sometimes deciduous. Palate without baleen. Head large or moderate, compressed. Tympanic bones two, dissimilar, separate, becoming united, sunk in a cavity in the base of the skull. Gullet large.

The suborders in this section have certain relations to each other by which they may be arranged in two parallel series:—

Division I. Nostrils longitudinal, parallel or diverging; each covered with a valve (cf. p. 62).

Suborder III. PHYSETEROIDEA.

Head blunt. Nostrils longitudinal, parallel, or diverging, each covered with a valve, the right often obliterated. Teeth many in the lower jaw, fitting into holes in the gums of the upper one. Lachrymal bone none distinct. “Costal cartilages not ossified. The hinder ribs losing their tubercular and retaining their capitular articulation with the vertebræ. The greater number of the cervical vertebræ ankylosed together. Pterygoid bones thick, produced backwards, meeting in the middle line, and not involuted to form the outer wall of the postpalatine air-sinus. Symphysis of mandible of moderate or excessive length. No functional teeth in the upper jaw. Mandibular teeth various, often much reduced in number. Lachrymal bones usually large and distinct. Bones of the skull raised so as to form an elevated prominence or crest behind the anterior nares. Orbit of small or moderate size. Pectoral limbs small. Dorsal fin usually present.”—Flower.

Family 6. CATODONTIDÆ.

Head compressed, truncated in front, very large. Blowers separate, linear, in front of the upper part of the head. Mouth inferior, linear. Pectoral fin short, broad, truncate. Dorsal hump rounded. Skull elongate. Crown concave, surrounded by a high perpendicular wall formed by the doubled-up maxilla and occipital bones. Upper jaw toothless. Atlas free; rest of cervical vertebræ united by their bodies and spines into a consolidated mass.

1. CATODON.

The atlas vertebra transverse, nearly twice as broad as high; the central canal subtrigonal, narrow below. Skull nearly one-third the entire length of the body. Lachrymal bone wanting. The zygomatic process is formed of the malar bone. Vertebral column rough and rather spongy. Vertebræ 50: 7 cervical, 11 dorsal, 8 lumbar, 24 caudal. The atlas separate; the other 6 cervical united by their bodies and spines into one consolidated mass, and sometimes united to the first dorsal vertebra. The atlas subquadrangular, broader than long. The transverse process truncated. Upper edge nearly straight, lower slightly curved. Neural canal triangular, one of the angles directed downwards. The thyro-hyal triangular, thick in front, thinner behind; the basihyal broad and flat. The basihyal and thyro-hyal united. The ribs long, all but the first slender and light. The first rib is short, broad, and very thick near the lower end. Sternum large, triangular, the apex turned backwards. The broad front end nearly straight, composed of two large anterior and a small posterior piece. Pectoral limb small. Scapula higher than broad; outer surface concave, inner convex. Acromion very large, dilated at the end. Coracoid large, narrow, and about half the length of the acromion. Humerus compressed. Radius and ulna not quite so long as the humerus, often united at the ends and separate in the middle. The carpus wide and short. The carpal bones six, nearly in a single row. The fingers five, all well developed, the second, third, and fourth not differing greatly in length, the fourth the shortest; the first consisting of two, the second and third of six, the fourth of five, and the fifth of four joints; the second finger two-thirds the length of the arm-bones.

The skull of the young animal is much shorter and broader than in the adult (Flower, Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. vi. tab. 57).

1. Catodon macrocephalus.

B.M.

Inhab. Tropical seas, accidentally in the temperate ones.

Mr. Flower (Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. vi.) considers C. australis, Gray, l. c. p. 206, fig. 55, the same species; and certainly there does not appear to be any character in the skeleton to divide them.

Maury remarks:—“The Sperm-Whale, according to the result of this chart, appears never to double the Cape of Good Hope. It doubles Cape Horn. Since this fish delights in warm water, shall we not expect to find off Cape Horn an under-current of warm water heavier with its salt?”—Maury, Whale-Charts, p. 267.

How far the species indicated range beyond the habitats whence they were received is yet to be discovered and recorded. No doubt their range is influenced by many local circumstances (peculiarities in the currents, and disposition of the food) that are not easily observed or understood.

2. MEGANEURON.

The atlas vertebra subcircular, rather broader than high. The central canal subcircular, in the middle of the body, widened above.

The rest of the animal not known; it is placed in Catodontidæ because this family is the only one that has the atlas separate from the cervical vertebræ and of the simple form.

1. Meganeuron Krefftii.

Inhab. Australian seas.

Atlas 13 inches wide.

Family 7. PHYSETERIDÆ.

Head depressed, rounded in front. Blowers linear (often only the one on the left side open), at the back of the forehead. Mouth small, inferior, rounded. Dorsal fin compressed, falcate. Pectoral fin elongate, falcate. Skull short; crown concave; hinder part of the wall formed by the maxillaries, and divided, as it were, into two subequal parts by a central bony ridge, which is more or less twisted towards the right side. Upper jaw toothless. Atlas and cervical vertebræ all united into a solid mass.

1. PHYSETER.

Head large, rather depressed in front. Skull —?

Only known from Sibbald’s description, which, like his others, is very specific; and all his other accounts of animals have been proved to be correct.

Mr. Flower has no faith in Sibbald’s account of this animal, and says, “If the Linnæan genus Physeter is to be kept in abeyance until the rediscovery of Sibbald’s ‘Balæna macrocephala tripinna,’ it is to be feared that it may ultimately disappear altogether from zoological literature.”—Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. vi. p. 369.

1. Physeter tursio.

Inhab. North Sea, Scotland (Sibbald, 1687). Length 52 or 53 feet.

2. KOGIA.

Head moderate, blunt and high in front; left blower only open. Skull short and broad; the septum that divides the crown of the skull very sinuous, folded so as to form a funnel-shaped cavity.

1. Kogia breviceps.

Inhab. Cape of Good Hope.

Perhaps the next is the same species.

2. Kogia Macleayii.

B.M.

Inhab. Australia, India. Length 10 feet, young.

The difference between Kogia and Euphysetes does not depend on the sex of the animals. Mr. Krefft described a male, and Professor Owen a female specimen; the latter mistook the two drawings of the same specimen for the two sexes, deceived by certain additions surreptitiously made to Mr. Elliot’s drawings; but the additions, especially the penis, are not represented on the plates, and the artist (Mr. Willis) says he received no directions to leave out any part of the drawing, and accurately copied them. The measurements given in the paper do not agree with those in Mr. Elliot’s notes made from the living animal; and reference to them would have prevented all this confusion.

3. EUPHYSETES.

Head moderate, blunt and high in front. Skull short and broad. The septum that divides the cavity of the crown of the skull simple, longitudinal, only slightly curved.

Vertebræ 51: cervical 7 (all united into one mass), dorsal 14, caudal 40. Basihyal broad and flat, as in Catodon.

1. Euphysetes Grayii.

Inhab. Australia.

Suborder IV. SUSUOIDEA.

Head beaked. Nostrils longitudinal, each covered with a valve (the right often obliterated). Teeth in upper and lower jaws, compressed. Crown of skull covered with a bony arch. Pectoral fin broad, truncate. Fingers 4, nearly equal, the outer the shortest.

Family 8. PLATANISTIDÆ.

Head long-beaked. Jaws slender, compressed. Skull—crown covered with the converging arch and reflexed edges of the maxillaries.

“Costal cartilages not ossified. The tubercular and capitular articulations of the ribs blending together posteriorly. Cervical vertebræ all free. Pterygoid bones thin, not conforming in their mode of arrangement with either of the other sections. Jaws very long and narrow; both with numerous teeth having compressed fangs. Symphysis of mandible very long, exceeding half the length of the entire ramus. Orbit very small. Lachrymal bones not distinct from the jugal. Pectoral limbs large. Dorsal fin rudimentary. Maxillary bones supporting large bony incurved crests. No cingulum or tubercle at the base of the crown of the teeth. Pectoral fins truncated. Visual organs rudimentary. External respiratory aperture longitudinal, linear.”—Flower.

1. PLATANISTA.

Vertebræ 51: cervical 7, all separate; dorsal 11; lumbar 8; caudal 25.

1. Platanista gangetica.

Inhab. India, Ganges.

2. Platanista Indi.

Inhab. India, Indus.

Division II. Nostrils both united into a single central transverse or crescent-shaped blower on the back of the crown (cf. p. 57).

Suborder V. DELPHINOIDEA.

Nostrils two, united into a single central transverse or crescentic blower on the back of the crown. Teeth in both jaws, permanent, or rarely deciduous by age. Pectoral fin lanceolate, ovate, or truncated. Head generally beaked. Dorsal fin falcate or wanting. Skull beaked; maxillary bone spread out over the orbit.

I. Pectoral fin elongate, obliquely truncated on the inner side. Fingers elongate, longer than the arm-bones, unequal; the second and third much the longest; the rest short. Forearm-bones close together, only separated by a straight line. Carpal bones moderate, 5 or 7 (cf. p. 85).

A. Pectoral fin on the side of the body. Second and third fingers of six or eight phalanges (cf. p. 82).

Family 9. INIIDÆ.

Fluviatile. Head beaked; beak bristly. Teeth in the jaws, rugulose, crowns with an internal lobe; permanent. Pectoral fin large, elongate, subfalcate. Back keeled behind, without any dorsal fin. Skull—jaw compressed; symphysis of lower jaw elongate, extending for more than half its length. Overlooking the form of the blower, Mr. Flower places this genus with Platanistidæ.

Vertebræ 41. C. 7. D. 13. L. 3. C. 18. The smallest number of any Cetacean known.

“Costal cartilages not ossified. The tubercular and capitular articulations of the ribs blending together posteriorly. Cervical vertebræ all free. Pterygoid bones thin, not conforming in their mode of arrangement with either of the other sections. Jaws very long and narrow, both with numerous teeth having compressed fangs. Symphysis of mandible very long, exceeding half the length of the entire ramus. Orbit very small. Lachrymal bones not distinct from the jugal. Pectoral limbs large. Dorsal fin rudimentary.”—Flower.

“Maxillary crests absent, or very slightly developed. Many of the teeth with a complete cingulum or a distinct tubercle at the base of the crown. Pectoral fin ovate, obtusely pointed.”—Flower.

1. INIA.

Cervical vertebræ free: the first with an inferior posterior process, bifid at the end; lateral processes very short: the second with a strong dorsal process. Dorsal vertebræ with very high dorsal processes. Scapula very high, with very long acromion and coracoid processes. The arm-bone short. Forearms thick and short, scarcely so long as the upper arm-bone. Metacarpal bones seven, imbedded in cartilage. The second and third fingers very long, with six phalanges; the first finger very short, of two phalanges; the fourth strong, short, about as long as the first two phalanges of the third finger, of four phalanges; the fifth finger very short, slender, of three phalanges. The breast-bone ovate, scutate, notched in front.

1. Inia Geoffroyii.

Inhab. Brazil, river Amazon.

“The number of the teeth in the different specimens of Inia examined shows a considerable range of variation, presuming that they all belong to one species. In the one now described there are R. 26, L. 26 / R. 25, L. 27 = 104. The larger specimen in the British Museum, from Ega, has 28-28/26-27 = 109, and also two minute rudimentary teeth in the gum behind the last in the left maxilla. In the smaller skull from the same place there are 29-26/28-27 = 110. In the skull in the Paris Museum, brought by D’Orbigny, there are, according to Gervais, 33-33/33-33 = 132; but in the type specimen in the same museum, taken from Lisbon, the number is given by De Bainville as 26-26/26-26 = 104. In the Berlin skull the teeth are 34-32/33-32 = 131. Von Martius, in his diagnosis of the species, gives 28-28/29-29 = 114.”—Flower.

Family 10. DELPHINIDÆ.

Head beaked. Teeth in both jaws, conical or compressed, permanent, without any internal lobe, occupying nearly the whole length of the jaws. Back rounded, with a falcate dorsal fin; rarely absent. Skull with the maxilla expanded over the orbit, and more or less turned up on the edges.

“Costal cartilages firmly ossified. Posterior ribs losing their capitular articulation, and only uniting with the transverse processes of the vertebræ by the tubercle. Anterior (2-6) cervical, in most, ankylosed together. Pterygoid bones short, thin, involuted to form, with a process of the palatine bone, the outer wall of the postpalatine air-sinus. Numerous teeth in both jaws (Monodon excepted), sometimes deciduous. Symphysis of mandible short or moderate, never exceeding one-third the length of the ramus. Bones of the skull not raised into a distinct crest behind the anterior nares. Orbit of moderate size. Lachrymal bones not distinct from the jugal. Pectoral limbs varying much in form and size. Dorsal fin usually present.”—Flower.

Tribe I. STENONINA.

Head beaked, teeth conical. Beak of the skull elongate, slender, compressed. Nasal triangle short. Symphysis of the lower jaw elongate.

1. STENO.

Beak of the skull compressed, higher than broad. Symphysis of the lower jaw long. Marine and fluviatile. “Pectoral fin moderately long, triangular, obtusely pointed at the end. First digit short, without any bony phalange; the second with six, the third five, the fourth two, and the fifth one phalange. The carpal bones all separated by broad cartilages. Scapula oblique, truncated at the posterior angle. Acromion broad, and coracoid rather small.”—Flower.

a. Skull large, solid; the beak compressed, high.

* Teeth large, conical, about two in an inch of the length of the margin of the jaw.

1. Steno frontatus.

B.M.