Chapter I: II. III. IV. V (3)

The teeth themselves have the same general form as those of the preceding specimen, but are larger. The inner surface is flattened and the outer strongly convex. The tips are quite pointed, but show some indications of wear. The roots can not be seen distinctly, but appear to be closed. (Pl. 22, fig. 4.)

_49599. Newport, Rhode Island._—Adult male. These teeth are longer than those of the preceding specimen, and while they resemble the latter in general form, taper much more gradually to the tip. The root, or portion below the point of maximum girth, is much shorter than that above, and rugose, with several deep furrows. A very small circular opening at the base of the root marks the orifice of the nerve. The upper half of the teeth is smooth, and the tips slightly worn and fractured. The small elliptical worn area is situated on the convex side of the tooth, which appears to be the outer side. As the alveoli of the jaw are, however, filled with a network of bone, the teeth can not be inserted in them. They were detached when received. (Pl. 38, figs. 10, 11; pl. 22, fig. 2; pl. 23, figs. 2, 3.)

Besides the difference in the size and form of the teeth in the two sexes, it is probable, as will be seen by consulting the foregoing data, that in the female the apex of the teeth does not extend more than a very small distance above the alveoli even in mature individuals, and probably often not more than a few millimeters; while in adult males the teeth are almost entirely protruded from the alveoli, which are filled with a coarse bony network. These differences are carried out in all the American specimens, and also characterized the New Zealand specimens, as may be learned from the accounts of Haast and Hector.

A number of rudimentary teeth in addition to the large terminal pair have been noted in the Aresquiers, Buenos Ayres, and perhaps other specimens, and two such teeth were found in the mandible of the Barnegat specimen, behind the large pair. One of these rudimentary teeth has been preserved. It is cylindrical and moderately curved. The length is 16 mm. and the diameter 2 mm. The whole tooth, with the exception of the extreme tip, is thickly coated with cement. The root is closed and the crown acute and apparently abraded by use. (Pl. 38, fig. 5.)

Returning now to the question of the validity of _grebnitzkii_ as a species, I would say that after comparing the measurements of the Bering Island skulls with those of the Atlantic coast specimens, and comparing the skulls themselves, I have been unable to find any constant difference of importance, except the size and form of the periotic bone. As the earbones are lacking from many of the skulls, the series available for comparison is small.

As compared with the Atlantic coast specimens, the anterior portion of the periotic bone in _grebnitzkii_ is larger, broader, and more rectangular in outline when viewed from below. I observe, however, that the absolute size and outline of the periotic vary considerably in the different specimens of _grebnitzkii_ without relation to age. The same appears to be true of _cavirostris_, but comparing the two series of skulls as a whole it appears to be true that the anterior mass of the periotic is larger in _grebnitzkii_. I do not think, however, that the latter species should be kept distinct on this account alone, at least until the character has been confirmed, and perhaps strengthened by others, through the examination of a larger series of specimens.

SKELETON OF ZIPHIUS FROM BERING ISLAND.

The Museum collection contains an incomplete skeleton of a very young individual, Cat. No. 22875, which was received from Bering Island with the skulls of _Z. grebnitzkii_, but does not belong to any one of them. Whether it really represents that species is, therefore, uncertain, but such is probably the case. The length of the vertebral column, consisting of 45 vertebræ, without interspaces, is 9 feet 2 inches.

The vertebral formula is as follows: C. 7; Th. 10; L. 10; Ca. 18 (+1?) = 45 (+1?). This is the same as in the type of _semijunctus_ so far as the cervicals, thoracics, and lumbars are concerned, and the probable total is the same. In their general characters these vertebræ agree with those of the skeletons already described, but they present a number of differences as well. On account of immaturity the processes are even less developed than in _semijunctus_. All the epiphyses are free, and in the third to the seventh thoracic vertebræ the neural arch and spine are separate from the centrum. The centra are very short in proportion to their width.

Although the specimen is so young, the anterior foramen of the atlas is, nevertheless, inclosed by bone, and though the line of separation between the atlas and axis is visible on the sides, the fourth cervical is anchylosed to the third at the top of the centrum. Although the neural spines, metapophyses, and transverse processes of the thoracics are much shorter than those of the young _semijunctus_, the epiphyses are as large or even larger than in that specimen. The neural arches are also noticeably thicker than in _semijunctus_, and the centra are rounded inferiorly rather than carinated. The neural spines are much more nearly erect than in the adult Barnegat and Newport skeletons, but, as mentioned on page 41, this is probably a character of immaturity, and is shared by _semijunctus_.

The differences as regards the form of the centra and neural arches die away among the lumbars, and these vertebræ and the caudals are, with a due allowance for greater immaturity, very similar to those of _semijunctus_.

The seventh thoracic is like the sixth in form, and is without a transverse process. It thus resembles the same vertebra in _semijunctus_. The eighth, however, has an ill-defined facet on the side of the metapophysis and a second facet a little above the upper border of the centrum. The eighth pair of ribs has only a single terminal articular facet.

The ninth thoracic has a short, thick transverse process, about in line with the upper surface of the centrum.

The transverse process of the seventh caudal is perforated on the right side by a foramen. The transverse processes are last traceable on the ninth caudal, the neural spines on the tenth caudal, and the neural arch on the eleventh caudal. Eight chevron bones are preserved, but probably two more were present originally.

Ten pairs of ribs are present. The first is much broader in the proximal half than in the distal half, but the distal end is slightly expanded. The first seven pairs possess both head and tubercle, but the eighth, ninth, and tenth have only a single terminal articular facet.

The sternum, which consists of five segments, is similar in form to that of _semijunctus_. The two sides of each segment are united. The posterior emargination of the third segment, and those of both ends of the fourth and fifth segments are small. The scapula and humerus are like those of _semijunctus_ in form. The remaining parts of both pectoral limbs are lacking.

Without more material, and especially some skeletons of adults, it is difficult to decide what importance should be assigned to the differences observable in the cervical and thoracic vertebræ of this young Bering Island specimen. The measurements of the skeleton are included in the table on pages 47 and 48.

EXTERNAL CHARACTERS.

The series of photographs (Cat. No. 142579) of an individual obtained in Kiska Harbor, Alaska, is very interesting as affording comparison of what is apparently a specimen of _grebnitzkii_ with the Atlantic form represented in the photograph of the Newport, Rhode Island, specimen. As no part of the Kiska specimen was preserved, it is not possible, of course, to identify it positively with _grebnitzkii_ or even with the genus _Ziphius_. No one who compares the photographs reproduced in Pl. 41, figs. 3 and 4, can, I think, fail to be convinced that both represent animals of the same genus and that the Pacific species (whether _grebnitzkii_ or not) bears the strongest possible resemblance to the Atlantic one.

Doctor Egbert published the following note on the Kiska specimen in 1905:

Early in September a monster dolphin grounded on the beach in Kiska
Harbor and was killed. Specific identification has not yet been made.
The general color was bluish-gray; length, 18½ feet; estimated weight,
3,600 pounds; sex, male. Body was quite regular in shape and rather
rotund, the greatest circumference being about midway between dorsal
fin and tip of the rather short snout. This dolphin was hauled
alongside the ship, stripped of its blubber, and the oil extracted.
Some of the flesh was eaten. The oil obtained was of excellent quality.
It was particularly desired for use on the wire of the deep-sea
sounding machine used aboard the [U. S. Coast Survey steamer]
_Patterson_.[47]

The size was about the same as that of the Newport specimen. Although Doctor Egbert gives the color merely as “bluish gray,” the photographs indicate that the belly was white, or whitish, and that there were oval white spots on the sides. As a whole, therefore, the coloration was similar to that of the New Zealand specimens of _cavirostris_ obtained at Port Cooper and Lyttleton Harbor.

When compared with the photograph of the Newport specimen (Pl. 41, fig. 4) it will be seen that the Kiska photograph represents an animal practically identical in general form, as well as in the general shape of the head, the length and form of the snout, the size and general shape of the pectoral fins. In the photograph of the Newport specimen the flukes are not well seen, but in the Kiska photograph the posterior median convexity peculiar to the ziphioids is clearly represented. The dorsal fin of the Newport specimen appears to be turned somewhat to one side and the tip crumpled, which makes it appear lower and somewhat longer and less pointed than that of the Kiska specimen. This may, of course, be a real difference, though such is probably not the case.

Considering the foregoing data relative to _grebnitzkii_ as a whole, there is not in my opinion sufficient warrant at present for considering this form as a species distinct from _cavirostris_, and it should be added that no distinguishing characters were given in the original description.

Genus BERARDIUS Duvernoy.

Of this genus the National Museum has three skulls and three skeletons representing the species _bairdii_, and a skull representing the species _arnuxii_. The latter, Cat. No. 21511, U.S.N.M., is without exact locality, but is catalogued as having been obtained in New Zealand. As the species _arnuxii_ has been well described and figured by Flower[48] and others, no detailed account of this skull is given here. Measurements of it, however, are included with those of _B. bairdii_ in the table on p. 68.

BERARDIUS BAIRDII Stejneger.

_Berardius bairdii_ Stejneger, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 6, p. 75,
June 22, 1883.
_Berardius vegæ_ Malm, Bihang K. Svenska Vet. Akad. Handl., vol. 8,
1883, No. 4, p. 109.[49]

This species was based by Dr. L. Stejneger on a skull obtained by Mr. N. Grebnitzki in Stare Gavan, on the eastern shore of Bering Island, Commander Group, Bering Sea, in the autumn of 1881. In 1879 a portion of a skull of the same species was found on Bering Island by the _Vega_ expedition, and was made the basis of a new species, _B. vegæ_, by A. W. Malm, the description of which was published a few months after that of Doctor Stejneger. The National Museum subsequently received another skull from Bering Island, through Mr. N. Grebnitzki, but, so far as I am aware, nothing further was heard of the species until 1903 and 1904, when the National Museum received three nearly complete skeletons, two of them from St. George Island, Pribilof Group, Bering Sea, and one from the coast of California. The material now in the National Museum is as follows:[50]

(1) _Cat. No. 20992_.—Skull and mandible of an immature individual collected by Dr. L. Stejneger in Bering Island. Original number 1520. Catalogued November 24, 1883. Type.

(2) _Cat. No._ (lacking).—Skull and mandible of an immature individual. Collected by Mr. N. Grebnitzki in Bering Island (?). Mounted.

(3) _Cat. No. 142118_.—Skull, mandible, and cervical vertebræ of a very young individual. Collected by Dr. L. Stejneger, June 5, 1883, on North Rookery, Bering Island. Original number 2191. This specimen is accompanied by notes and measurements.

(4) _Cat. No. 49726_.—Skeleton and measurements of an adult female. Near East Rookery, St. George Island, Pribilof Group. Collected by James Judge, in June, 1903. Length, 40 feet 2 inches.

(5) _Cat. No. 49727_.—Skeleton and measurements of an immature male. Same locality and date as the preceding. Length, 25 feet 5 inches.

The two skeletons (4) and (5) are somewhat incomplete. The Museum received a photograph of the female from Maj. Ezra W. Clark.

(6) _Cat. No. 49725_.—Skeleton and two photographs of an adult male (?) stranded on Centerville beach near Ferndale, Humboldt County, California, October, 1904. Length, about 41 feet.

A brief note on the St. George Island and California skeletons was published by the author in Science for 1904.[51] The dimensions given by the collectors were so large as to raise doubts whether they were correct, but the arrival of the skeletons proved that they were not overstated, and that the specimens were by far the largest ziphioid whales ever discovered, the bones about equaling those of a humpback whale in size and massiveness.

HISTORY OF THE ST. GEORGE ISLAND SPECIMENS.

The St. George Island specimens were first made known by Mr. James Judge, special agent of the Treasury Department, resident at the Pribilof Islands, in a letter dated June 16, 1903, as follows:

I was much surprised the other day to find a pair of whales ashore near
East Rookery [St. George Island]. They lay about 150 yards apart. The
female was 40 feet 2 inches, the male 25 feet 5 inches in length. The
species is not positively identified, but tallies closely with the
Globe Encyclopedia description of Bottlehead or Bottlenose whale,
_Hyperodoön bidentatus_. Natives call it “Tcha-dhan.” The male is
without teeth; female has two teeth in front of lower jaw.[52] The skin
is thin, smooth, white underneath, and black above. Dorsal fin small
and well aft. Caudal large and powerful. Eyes very small. Ears not
visible.

Thinking that the skeleton might be of use, the bones of the female
were cut out and placed high and dry on the grass. Four ribs were
broken; otherwise the bones are intact. The male was towed to East
Landing, and with the aid of a capstan deposited beyond reach of surf.
Some blubber was saved. The foxes will clean up the bones during
August, so that in all probability both skeletons will be available
this fall. * * * I inclose some measurements, taken roughly, with a
5-foot tape line.

_Whale measurements, June 11, 1903._

Female. Male.
Ft. in. Ft. in.
Greatest length 40 2 25 5
Greatest circumference (much bloated) 20 0 12 0
Extremity of upper lip to nostril 4 4 3 0
Distance between eyes 4 6 3 6
Extremity of lower lip to angle of mouth 2 5 1 9
Circumference of head at eyes 8 10 7 0
Lower half of snout 10 inches from end 2 3 1 9
Upper half of snout 12 inches from end 2 1 1 7
Length of [pectoral] fin along outer edge 5 0 3 5
Circumference of tail [at] junction [with] 5 0 3 5
caudal fin
Distance between extreme points of caudal fin 10 2 6 3
Anus to end of body 11 8 7 7
Anus to vagina 1 2 ... ...
Anus to penis ... ... 1 8
Length of vagina 1 3 ... ...
Length of penis ... ... 1 9
Penis at base ... ... 1 5
Height of dorsal fin 0 12 0 7½
Dorsal fin along spine to end of body 11 11 7 5
Length of nipple from raised base 0 1 ... ...

The skeletons remained on the island until August, 1904, when they were carried by the revenue cutter _McCulloch_ to Dutch Harbor and afterwards to San Francisco. Through a misunderstanding they were allowed to remain on the beach at St. George Island until November, 1903, and suffered considerable injury. On that date they were deposited in a storehouse by Maj. Ezra W. Clark, assistant treasury agent in charge, who afterwards presented the photograph of the female above mentioned. (Pl. 42, fig. 1.) The latter shows the short, narrow, pointed pectoral fin, and long, rather slender beak.

Another specimen of _Berardius_ was found stranded on St. George Island on August 21, 1909. The following information regarding it was received from Maj. Ezra W. Clark, under date of September 4, 1909:

On August 21, 1909, after an unusually severe gale for the season,
accompanied with heavy sea, a beaked whale was stranded under the
cliffs of the northeast coast of St. George Island. Its position was
such that it was reached with great difficulty. It was undergoing
decomposition. I succeeded in getting the following information:

Sex, female.
Length from tip of beak to end of body, 22 feet.
Length of beak, tip to base, 2 feet 5 inches.
Length of head, not including beak, 2 feet.
Length of tail, or width of flukes at base, 1 foot 10 inches.
Girth around beak at its base, 2 feet.
Girth around body at dorsal fin, about 12 feet.
Girth around body at base of tail, 3 feet.
Spread of tail, or flukes, 6 feet.
Length of dorsal fin at base, 1 foot 10 inches.
Fore fins, 1 foot 10 inches.

I think that I shall not be able to get the skeleton of this whale,
owing to the rough seas prevailing.

HISTORY OF THE CENTERVILLE, CALIFORNIA, SPECIMEN.

The Californian specimen (Cat. No. 49725) was first made known in a letter addressed to me by President Jordan, of Stanford University, under date of October 27, 1904, inclosing one from Mr. J. H. Ring, of Ferndale, California, dated October 23, 1904, which was as follows:

Enclosed find three views of an animal stranded on the beach near this
place [Ferndale, Humboldt County, California], and as its identity
seems rather uncertain we hope you will kindly classify it and inform
us of its true name and habitat, if possible, from the photographs and
incomplete description. Its total length is about 41 feet. Greatest
circumference 16 feet, tapering probably to 18 inches near the tail. It
also tapers toward the head, terminating in a sharp beak, the upper jaw
being about 16 and the lower 19 inches long.

On each side in the lower jaw well to the front is a conical tooth, the
crown of which is exposed one-half an inch. The head is full and
rounded, resembling that of an elephant, with depressions corresponding
to the ears, and small eyes a little ahead and below.

On top of head is a heart-shaped opening, evidently for breathing
purposes. There is also evidence of a dorsal fin, while each fork of
tail is 3½ feet or so long. The underside of the animal is too bruised
to show anything of importance. The flippers are also in bad shape, one
being buried in the sand, while the other is entirely denuded of flesh,
leaving a bony stump about 6 inches long and which moves readily in any
direction. We think it is a “bottle-nose” whale, but as some claim that
they are not to be found on this coast and do not exceed 30 feet in
length, it may be something else.

Mr. Ring was immediately communicated with, and very generously presented to the Museum the skull of the animal, which he had secured and cleaned with much labor and some danger to himself. He also undertook to have the skeleton cleaned and sent to Washington, and it was received in due course in June, 1905. Mr. Ring wrote under date of May 15, 1905:

You will notice that the point of the beak, as well as the points of
the lower jawbones, are a little damaged, some hunters having shot the
teeth out and then set a fire inside the jaws.

When received, the skeleton lacked the flippers and also two of the teeth. Regarding the former, Mr. Ring wrote on November 18, 1905, as follows:

I wrote you that one flipper was entirely gone and the other worn down
to a stump, as shown in the picture. I have interviewed the man who
stripped the specimen, and he says the stump was badly crushed and
broken and fears it was lost one night when the extremely high tide had
turned the whale over, and only the anchors and lashings I had secured
it with prevented its going out to sea.

This skeleton was mounted recently and placed on exhibition in the Museum. The flippers were modeled from those of the St. George Island specimens (which were also imperfect) and from the figures of _B. arnuxii_ given by Flower. The end of the beak was also restored, and a facsimile of the teeth substituted for the real ones. This remarkable skeleton shows in a manner hitherto unapproached the great size which this genus of ziphioid whales attains, and the peculiar conformation of the body. While the vertebræ rival those of the large whalebone whales, such as the Humpbacks, in their dimensions, the head is remarkable for its small size as compared with the immense proportions of the same part in the Right whales. (Pl. 42, fig. 4.)

Mr. Ring sent to the Museum three photographs of the Californian specimen above mentioned, two of which are reproduced on Pl. 42, figs. 2 and 3. Although rather indistinct, they show the general form of the body, the peculiar bulbous head, with an indication of a neck, and the long beak.

DESCRIPTION OF A YOUNG BERING ISLAND SPECIMEN.

Doctor Stejneger has very kindly placed in my hands his original notes on the young individual examined by him in Bering Island June 5, 1883 (Cat. No. 142,188) and they are given below in full:

When the news reached me that a small “plavum” was found dead ashore at
the North Rookery of Bering Island, I immediately ordered dogs, and
arrived at the place in company with the “starost.” The carcass was
found lying on the very beach where the fur seals during the summer
occupy the ground. As the bulk of the seals had not yet arrived, only a
few “sikatschi” were seen in the immediate neighborhood, but it was
reported that they had retired from the place on account of the smell
of the putrefied body, as it was thought. The natives, fearing that it
would drive the seals from the rookery altogether if left on the beach
any longer, were very anxious to get it away as fast as possible, and
it was only with some hesitation that they would allow one to stand on
the rookery long enough to take a few measurements. The animal was
quite a young one, and I conjectured that it had died immediately after
having been born, as I think there were some remains of the umbilical
cord. Hardly any of the bones were fully ossified. Under these
circumstances, it was out of the question to have the whole skeleton
preserved, as the dismembering and the separation of the putrified
flesh from the bones and cartilages would require more care and
consequently more time than the natives were willing to allow. I was
therefore glad to secure the head and some of the neck vertebræ. Even
that tried their patience, as the head was going to separate into its
single bones and the not yet united component pieces, and consequently
needed special care and attention.

The carcass was lying with the back upward, this visible part being
uniform black, and still in such a state as to allow of measuring. The
lower surface was in a very advanced state of decomposition. Part of
the belly was torn away, together with the entrails, and the genitalia
and anus were not to be found. As stated above, I think that I could
recognize the umbilical cord attached to a tatter of the skin. Of
course, measurements of the lower side and of the circumference of the
body, except at the narrowest place of the tail, could not be taken.

_Table of dimensions._

Meters.
Total length from tip of upper jaw to notch of caudal fin, 4.81
along the middle of the back, without, however, following
the angle between beak and forehead
From tip of upper jaw to fore border of spiracles .53
From fore border of the spiracles to fore border of dorsal fin 2.63
Length of dorsal fin .29
Height of dorsal fin .11
From hind border of dorsal fin to the beginning of the caudal .93
fin
From the same point to notch of the caudal fin 1.36
Distance between the tips of the lobes of the caudal fin .91
Depth of the angle of the posterior margin of caudal fin .20
From tip of upper jaw to the angle of mouth .36
From the same to anterior angle of eye .475
Diameter of eye opening .06
From eye to eye over the spiracle .59
Distance between ends of spiracle .08
Length of beak from the forehead .23
Breadth of the beak at the forehead .18
From tip of upper jaw to anterior insertion of the pectoral .80
fin
Pectoral fin along the anterior border .51
Breadth of pectoral fin[a] at the insertion .20
Circumference of tail at its narrowest point, just before the .62
caudal fin

[a] The pectoral fin rather straight, of equal breadth, and abruptly
ending.

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION OF BERARDIUS BAIRDII.

The original description of _B. bairdii_ by Doctor Stejneger is as follows:

Besides an _Orca_, which is said to visit the rookeries, but of which I
have not been able to procure any specimen, or even to see one, there
are at least two species of the family _Ziphiidæ_, both undescribed, as
I suppose. I am very much indebted to Mr. Grebnitzki for a skull of
each of the species, for one of which I should like to propose the name
_Berardius bairdii_, as a slight token of my esteem and gratitude.

As I am now almost without any literary means, I find it impossible to
decide with certainty in what genus this species will finally have to
be placed. But I think that the supposition that this specimen (No.
1520) is a young _Berardius_ may not be far out of the way. At first I
suspected that it is a _Dioplodon_, but the size of the skull, in
connection with the distinctness of the sutures, the evident maxillary
crests, and the terminal position of the teeth very soon led me to the
above conclusion.

The specimen in question has very low and scarcely incurved maxillary
crests; the shortest distance of which is two and two-thirds times
greater than their greatest height, and although it still is in its
“adolescent” stage, I should greatly doubt whether the crests in this
species ever become developed to such a degree as, for instance, in
_Hyperoödon diodon_ (Lacép.). The groove between the maxillary and the
nuchal crest is very shallow. The maxillary notch is deep. The beak is
long, making only a little less than half the length of the entire
skull. Nares straight; right nasal larger than the left one, but not
very much. The occipital condyles do not come in contact beneath the
foramen magnum; the symphysis of the lower jaw is very short, amounting
to only one-fifth of the whole length of the jaw.

Want of time and books prevents me from making more extended remarks,
and until I can present an exhaustive and comparative description, I
shall have to content myself by giving a provisional table of
dimensions. The following dimensions are in millimeters and English
inches, and are in every case measured in a straight line:

mm. in.
Length of skull 1,405 55.32
Greatest breadth 698 27.48
Greatest height 530 20.87
Length from process of supramaxillaries before orbit 610 24.02
to posterior edge of condyles
Length from same process to tip of beak 890 35.04
Depth of maxillary notch 50 1.97
Length of premaxillaries 1,222 48.11
Premaxillaries reach beyond supramaxillaries 134 5.28
Distance of upper edge of maxillary crests at their 228 8.98
anterior end
Distance of same at their middle 358 14.10
Greatest height of maxillary crests 86 3.39
Length of visible part of vomer 325 12.80
Distance from anterior tip of vomer to tip of beak 275 10.83
Length of pterygoids 295 11.62
Height of foramen magnum 70 2.76
Width of foramen magnum 80 3.15
Distance of condyles at upper edge of foramen magnum 100 3.94
Closest approximation of condyles beneath the foramen 2 0.08
magnum
Entire length of lower jaw 1,292 50.88
Height of lower jaw at second tooth groove 100 3.94
Length of symphysis 257 10.12
Greatest diameter of foremost tooth groove 100 3.94
(longitudinal)
Shortest diameter of foremost tooth groove 45 1.77
(transverse)
Greatest diameter of posterior tooth groove 40 1.58
(longitudinal)
Shortest diameter of posterior tooth groove 35 1.38
(transverse)
Distance between the tooth grooves 65 2.56

This specimen was found stranded in Stare Gavan, on the eastern shore
of Bering Island in the fall of last year, and only the skull was
preserved. From analogy I should judge that the entire length of the
animal must have been about 18 feet (5½ meters). This species is well
known by the natives for the cathartic quality of the blubber,
resembling in this respect the Atlantic “Dögling,” or “Anarnak”
(_Hyperoödon diodon_). The Russian name, by which the inhabitants here
designate this whale, is _Pla-un_ (sp. Pläoon), while the Aleut name is
_Kigan agalusoch_, the meaning of which is said to be “having teeth on
the nose,” a very inappropriate designation, as the teeth are situated
on the tip of the lower jaw, and not on the nose.[53]

SIZE.

It will be observed that the largest of the foregoing specimens measured 40 feet 2 inches in length, while the Centerville skeleton was reported to be about 41 feet long. The largest example of the New Zealand species, _B. arnuxii_, of which there is a record was 32 feet long.

COLORATION.

The St. George Island specimens were reported to be black on the back and white below, but it is not certain how long they had been dead when found by Mr. Judge. The young individual examined by Doctor Stejneger was also black on the back, but this was in a state of decomposition.

The color of the type-specimen of _Berardius arnuxii_ was described by Arnoux as follows: “Its color was entirely black, except for a light gray area near the genital organs; it was a male.”[54] Haast remarks of a young individual observed by him near New Brighton, New Zealand, and not in a fresh condition: “The color of the whole animal was of a deep, velvety black, with the exception of the lower portion of the belly, which had a grayish color.”[55]

The color of the immature male of _B. arnuxii_ captured in Wellington Harbor, New Zealand, in 1877, and described by Hector, was as follows: “The colour was black with a purple hue, except a narrow band along the belly, which was grey. The muzzle, flippers, and tail lobes were intensely black.”[56]

It is not likely that there is any marked difference in the color of _arnuxii_ and _bairdii_, but the data available are insufficient for the determination of the matter. It will be observed, however, that Mr. Judge stated that the male _bairdii_ found on St. George Island was white below, while in all the accounts of _arnuxii_ the color of the under surface is given as blackish, with a restricted area of gray.

Besides its apparently greater size, _Berardius bairdii_ differs from _B. arnuxii_ in various cranial and other osteological characters, as well as in external proportions, and is to be regarded as a distinct species. The external measurements of the St. George Island specimens reduced to percentages of the total length and compared with similar measurements of a specimen of _B. arnuxii_ described by Hector, are as follows:

_External dimensions of Berardius bairdii and B. arnuxii._

Column Headings:
_bairdii._
A: 49726 St. George Island, Alaska, (Judge), female adult.
B: 49727 St. George Island, Alaska, (Judge), male imm.
_arnuxii._
C: Wellington, New Zealand, (Hector), male.

Measurements. A B C
ft. in. ft. in. ft. in.
Total length 40 2 25 5 27 6
per per per
cent. cent. cent.
Distance from tip of snout to blowhole 10.8 11.8 12.8
Distance from tip of mandible to corner of 6.0 6.9 [a]6.1
mouth
Breadth of flukes from tip to tip 25.3 24.6 19.1
Length of pectoral fin along outer edge 12.4 13.4 9.4
Distance from anus to “end of body” 29.0 29.8 [34.0]
Height of dorsal fin 2.5 2.4 3.0
Distance from anterior base of dorsal fin to 29.7 29.2 [34.6]
“end of body”

[a] “Length of gape.”

The measurements of these specimens of _bairdii_ agree well together. The specimen of _arnuxii_ appears to have had narrower flukes, shorter pectoral fin, and a rather higher dorsal fin, situated farther forward than in _bairdii_. Measurements of a larger number of specimens might show that some or all of these differences of proportion are elusive, but it will be observed that in the Wellington specimen of _arnuxii_, recorded by Doctor Haast, the breadth of the flukes is only 21 per cent of the total length. The pectoral fin is said to be only 19 inches long, or only 5.2 per cent of the total length, but the manner of taking the measurement is not mentioned.

As regards size, the largest specimen of _B. arnuxii_ of which I find record is the type specimen. This was 32 feet long, and the skull 1,400 mm., or about 55 inches long. This appears to have been an adult male. The Centerville specimen of _bairdii_, which was an adult male, was about 41 feet long, and the skull 1,532 mm., or about 60 inches long, while the adult female from St. George Island was 40 feet 2 inches long and the skull 56 inches. Although the total length of the specimens of _bairdii_ is so much greater, it will be observed that the length of the skull, while a little greater, absolutely fails to measure up to the proportions found in _arnuxii_. It might be suspected on this account that the external measurements of _bairdii_ were exaggerated, but that such is not the case will appear from an examination of the measurements of vertebræ given on page 75. It is evident that the specimens of _bairdii_ are far more massive in all parts of the skeleton than the specimen of _arnuxii_ there cited. The same relations will be found upon comparing measurements of the specimen of _arnuxii_ figured by Van Beneden and Gervais.[57] The truth appears to be that _bairdii_ is a much larger species, but that the skull is considerably smaller relatively.

SKULL.

The skull of _Berardius bairdii_ presents many characters by which it may be distinguished from that of _arnuxii_, whether adult or young. As compared with the latter, the rostrum is less massive at the base. The pterygoid has a rounded extension posteriorly and superiorly, so that the posterior portion of the upper border of the pterygoid sinus is convex, rather than nearly straight, as in _arnuxii_. The exoccipital is larger and broader distally below, and its external surface is plane or concave, rather than convex, as in _arnuxii_. The distal end of the zygomatic process is much more incurved. The nasal bones instead of presenting lateral extensions have nearly straight sides. The vomer is deeply emarginate at the base of the skull posteriorly where it rests against the presphenoid. The palatines extend scarcely or not at all in front of the pterygoids. The foregoing differences will readily be seen by comparing the figures on Pls. 26-29 with those of the type of _B. arnuxii_ given in Van Beneden and Gervais’s Osteography, plate 23.

The following are dimensions of skulls of both species:

_Dimensions of five skulls of Berardius bairdii (including the type)
and of three skulls of B. arnuxii._

Column headings:
_B. arnuxii._
A: New Brighton, New Zealand (Flower). No. 3.
B: New Zealand (V. B. and Gerv.). (Type). ([a])
C: 21511, U.S.N.M., New Zealand, young.
_B. bairdii._
D: 49726, St. George Island, female, adult.
E: 49725, Centerville, California, male(?) adult.
F: 20992, Bering Island, (Type).
G: 49727, St. George Island, male, young.
H: Mounted skull, Bering Island(?) (Grebnitzki?).

A B C D E F G H
mm. mm. mm. mm. mm. mm. mm. mm.
Total length of 1,372 1,392 [b]1,174 1,524 1,423 1,378 1,062(?) 1,474
skull
Height from vertex 533 494(?) 493 563 544 ... ... 575
to inferior
border of
pterygoids
Breadth across [c]625 684 577 766 682 662 530 [716]
middle of orbits
Breadth across 686 748 606 808 722 ... 560 [760]
postorbital
processes
Breadth across 671 748 584 750 675 ... 520 [740]
zygomatic
processes
Length of rostrum 919 894 800 960 925 880 578+ 1,025
Breadth of rostrum 399 414 378 475 420 428 310 429
at base
Breadth of rostrum 152 150 149 207 197 188 ... 223
at middle[d]
Length of premaxillæ ... .... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Breadth of 91 90 101 120 119 115 ... 125
premaxillæ at
middle[d]
Greatest breadth of 208 210 189 235 217 238 187 239
premaxillæ in
front of nares
Greatest breadth of ... 246 193 215 195 181 165 197
premaxillæ behind
nares
Distance from 1,097 1,080 935 1,185 1,130 ... 720+ 1,187
anterior end of
premaxillæ
posterior end of
pterygoids
(median)
Distance from 345 264 252 276 270 260 115+ 307
anterior end of
premaxillæ to
anterior end of
vomer
Length of portion ... 420 253± 535 370 472 360± 450
of vomer visible
on palate
Length of nasals 132 162(?) 134 135 118 135 98 142
(greatest,
median, straight)
Breadth of nasals 102 180 125 119 97 105 90 105
(greatest)
Breadth of anterior 74 102 80 110 98 96 83 100
nares
Breadth of foramen 61 ... 72 85 82 84 83 71
magnum
Breadth across 191 213 186 261 228 240 195 235
occipital condyles
Breadth of each ... ... 75 123 104 108 83 98
condyle
Height of each ... ... 135 193 171 168 142 178
condyle
Length of mandible [e]1,245 1,236 ... 1,334 1,289 1,282 [f]883 1,360
Length of symphysis 310 294 ... 295 295 270 [f]145 310
Height at coronoid 211 222 ... 271 230 223 175 245
Distance from tip 34 45 ... 50 48 35 [f]22 60
of jaw to center
of first tooth
Distance from tip 155 159 ... 200 182 165 [f]87 195
of jaw to center
of second tooth

[a] From Van Beneden and Gervais figure.
[b] A little broken at tip.
[c] “Suprafrontal processes of maxillæ.”
[d] Same point.
[e] “Length of ramus.”
[f] About 27 mm. lacking from tip of mandible.

The foregoing measurements indicate a considerable variation in proportions among the different individuals, but there appears to be nothing that can be fixed upon in this small series to distinguish the two species by dimensions alone.

EARBONES.

The tympanic and periotic bones of _B. bairdii_ (Pls. 34-37) present a number of characters by which they may be distinguished from those of _B. arnuxii_. While of about the same size in both species, the two bones when in the natural position, viewed from without, are nearly square rather than triangular in outline in _B. bairdii_, the superior border of the periotic being nearly parallel with the inferior border of the tympanic, and the anterior lobe of the periotic being turned down nearly at right angles with the rest of the bone. The periotic is shorter anteriorly than the tympanic in _B. bairdii_, while the reverse is true in _B. arnuxii_. In the former species the eustachian canal of the tympanic is wider, the distance between the outer and inner lips being greater. The involuted portion of the inner lip is shorter and differently shaped. The groove between the postero-inferior lobes is wider. The periotic beside having a much shorter anterior lobe than in _B. arnuxii_ has also a smaller and smoother middle lobe, and the internal auditory meatus is smaller and more oblique. The dimensions of the bones in the Centerville beach skull, No. 49725, are as follows: _Tympanic_: greatest length, 62 mm.; greatest breadth, 46; least breadth of eustachian canal, 17; height at sigmoid process, 47. _Periotic:_ greatest length, 66; greatest breadth, 40; height at center of middle lobe, 35; length from tip of anterior lobe to anterior margin of internal meatus, 38.

TEETH.

Although all the specimens of _Berardius bairdii_ are more or less incomplete, two or three of the mandibular teeth have been preserved in nearly every instance; namely, in the adult female from St. George Island, the left anterior and right and left posterior; in the immature male from the same island, both anterior teeth; in the Centerville beach specimen, the left anterior and right (?) posterior teeth; in the skull from Bering Island formerly regarded as the type, all four teeth; in the very young skull from Bering Island, the left anterior and posterior teeth.

Taken as a whole, these teeth are not larger than those found in the specimens of _B. arnuxii_ thus far recorded, but in both species they vary so much on account of age, or for other reasons, that a comparison of dimensions is unsatisfactory. The dimensions are as follows:

_Dimensions of teeth of Berardius arnuxii and B. bairdii._

Column headings:
A: Greatest height.
B: Greatest breadth.

Species and locality. Sex and Length. Large Small Remarks.
age. tooth. tooth.
A B A B
_B. arnuxii._ ft. in. mm. mm. mm. mm.
Akaroa (Van Beneden. Male. 32 0 [a]90 90 66 40 From
Type). figure.[b]
New Brighton (Haast Male(?). 30 6 [a]73 63 47 31 From
and Flower). figure.
Port Nicholson (Knox (?) 27 0 [a]65 50 (?) (?) From
and Hector). figure.
Locality unknown (Van (?) (?) 72 53 51 30 From
Beneden and Gervais, figure.
pl. 21 _bis_).
_B. bairdii._
49725—Centerville, Male(?), 41 ± [a]83 65 53 28
California. adult.
49726—St. George Female, 40 5 [c]79 72 62 45
Island. adult.
49727—St. George Male, im. 25 0 [a]86 61 ... ...
Island.
142118—Bering Island Young. ... ... [a]50 37 31 31

[a] Tip more or less acute.
[b] Van Beneden’s measurements are slightly different.
[c] Tip much worn.

A description of the teeth of the different specimens of _B. bairdii_ is subjoined.

_No. 142118._—Bering Island; young (new born?). Anterior tooth conical, hollow, with thin walls. The lower half of the tooth is filled with a mass of bony pulp, which is separable. The tooth is widest at the base, and is without any constriction indicating the formation of a root. Outer and inner surfaces slightly convex, the latter with several distinct longitudinal furrows, which extend to the apex. The whole tooth has a thin coating of cement, except the tip, for a length of about 10 mm., which is more nearly white, and consists, presumably, of dentine. The tooth is very symmetrical, but rather more convex externally. The apex is pointed, erect, and a little more convex externally than internally. (Pl. 39, figs. 1, 2.)

The posterior tooth is similar to the anterior one, but much shorter and more blunt, and the longitudinal furrows are about equally distinct externally and internally. The cement extends nearly to the apex, which latter is very short and is directed backward.

_No. 49727._—St. George Island, Alaska; male, immature. Anterior teeth conical, acute, somewhat unsymmetrical, rather more convex externally than internally. The internal surface with a deep median longitudinal groove, and others less distinct on each side near the base. Apex slightly inclined forward and inward, convex externally, with a single longitudinal groove; nearly flat internally, with, or without, a groove. Base of tooth for about 17 mm. covered with longitudinal rugosities, indicating that the root was about to close. It is open, however, the walls of the tooth at the narrowest point being 8 mm. apart and the cavity filled with dense bony pulp. The anterior and posterior outlines of the teeth are irregular, being convex near the base, then slightly concave, and again convex near the apex. When in the natural position, these teeth protrude about 33 mm., or a little more than one-third their height, above the alveolus. (Pl. 39, figs. 3, 4.)

Posterior teeth lacking.

_No. 49725._—Centerville beach, California; male (?), adult. Anterior tooth conical, with anterior and posterior margins as in the last. Apex considerably abraded and rounded off; not inclined inward or forward. Internal and external surfaces nearly equally convex, but the former with a broad median longitudinal groove. Root closed, the base of the tooth for a breadth of about 30 mm. covered with rounded rugosities. The inferior border slightly convex and the angles rounded off. When in the natural position, somewhat more than one-half of the tooth protrudes beyond the alveolus, and the tooth itself is inclined forward and outward. (Pl. 39, fig. 5.)

Posterior tooth quite irregular in form, but the portion above the rugose base or root conical. Inner surface flat and uneven. Outer surface convex and rather rugose. The cement covers the whole tooth thickly to within about 5 mm. of the apex, which latter is short, quite acute, and slightly directed inward. It is convex externally and nearly flat internally. The basal rugosity or root is conical, thicker than the rest of the tooth, and unsymmetrical, being somewhat directed backward. It shows no opening below. When in the natural position this tooth is strongly inclined forward and outward, and only the tip for a length of 22 mm. protrudes beyond the alveolus. (Pl. 39, fig. 6.)

_No. 49726._—St. George Island, Alaska; female, adult. Anterior tooth conical, with the tip blunt, having been so much abraded that the dentine does not extend beyond the coating of cement. The tip measures 26 by 19 mm. The external and internal surfaces of the tooth are about equally convex and somewhat rugose without distinct furrows. The root is thicker than the remainder of the tooth and very rugose. It is entirely closed below, and the inferior outline is convex. Posterior tooth much compressed, conical above the root, nearly flat internally and slightly convex externally. Cement coating very thick and extending to within about 5 mm. of the dentine apex, which latter is acute and very slightly curved inward and backward. The root is very unsymmetrical, the posterior portion being much longer than the anterior. The surface is very rugose, and there is no opening whatever below. The inferior border is convex, with an emargination near the center. (Pl. 39, figs. 7, 8.)

In the adult skull from Bering Island, which has been mounted and placed on exhibition, the teeth are fixed in the alveoli so that their entire length and the peculiarities of the basal portion can not be determined. In general form, however, they resemble those of the preceding specimen very closely. The anterior teeth are placed obliquely—that is, so that the anterior margins of the two teeth are nearer together than the posterior margins. The teeth are also somewhat inclined forward. The posterior teeth are strongly inclined forward and a little outward.

The anterior teeth are rather concave along the middle internally and convex externally. The portion above the alveoli is quite smooth.

The posterior teeth are moderately rugose above the alveoli. The whitish tips of denture are conical, compressed, and rather acute. They extend 6 mm. above the denture, and are 11 mm. long at their base, and 6 mm. thick.

The anterior teeth protrude about 45 mm. above the alveolus (internally); their base at the alveolus is from 73 to 76 mm. long, and from 33 to 35 mm. thick. The posterior teeth extend about 18 mm. above the alveoli (measured vertically from the alveolus), and the base of the visible portion (measured along the alveolus) is from 30 to 34 mm. long and from 18 to 20 mm. thick. These teeth have an antero-external angular enlargement of the cement, so that they are somewhat triangular in horizontal section. (Pl. 30, fig. 3; pl. 31, fig. 5.)

The data available are insufficient to enable one to determine satisfactorily whether the teeth differ materially in size in the two sexes, but it appears probable that they do not.

SKELETON.

While the skeleton of _Berardius bairdii_ (Pl. 42, fig. 4) resembles that of _B. arnuxii_ very closely in most particulars, it presents differences which may properly be regarded as specific. The vertebral formula of _B. arnuxii_ as given by Flower is as follows: C. 7, Th. 10, L. 12, Ca. 19 = 48.[58] The same formula is given for another specimen of _B. arnuxii_ by Van Beneden and Gervais, except that the caudals are 17, two being apparently lacking.[59]

Doctor Hector, however, gives a different formula for a third specimen of this species, namely, C. 7, Th. 10, L. 13, Ca. 17 = 47. He remarks that “extreme care was taken to secure the whole of the small tail bones.”[60] The discrepancy here shown can not be accounted for at present, but, at all events, none of the formulas of _B. arnuxii_ corresponds to that of _B. bairdii_, as derived from the three skeletons in the National Museum, namely, C. 7, Th. 11, L. 12, Ca. 16+ = 46+.

The number of thoracic vertebræ can be determined positively from the youngish male from St. George Island (Cat. No. 49727), in which ten pairs of ribs are present, together with one rib belonging to the eleventh pair. This last is much shorter than the tenth pair, and there can be no doubt that it really belongs to a terminal pair. In this skeleton the transverse processes of the eleventh thoracic vertebra are thick at the free end like those of the tenth thoracic vertebra.

In the adult male from Centerville beach, California, only ten pairs of ribs are present, but as the tenth is quite as long as the ninth, there is little doubt that an eleventh pair was present originally. The eleventh thoracic vertebra, however, has transverse processes longer and more flattened at the free end than those of the tenth thoracic. It is possible, of course, that the real eleventh thoracic is lacking, and that this individual had thirteen lumbar vertebræ, but of this there is no positive evidence.

Only a few of the ribs accompany the skeleton of the adult female from St. George Island, Alaska (Cat. No. 49726), but there are eleven thoracic vertebræ, the transverse processes of the eleventh being short and thick, like those of the tenth, with a distinct facet for the rib at the free end. This facet, however, is directed obliquely backward and occupies only the posterior half of the free margin.

There is no doubt in my mind that the number of thoracic vertebræ in _B. bairdii_ is normally 11 and in _B. arnuxii_, 10. This would ordinarily be of little importance, as in nearly all kinds of cetaceans a variation of one, or even two, in the number of thoracic and lumbar vertebræ in different individuals of the same species is commonly met with. In the present family, however, the number of thoracic vertebræ shows little variation, and as all known skeletons of _B. bairdii_ have eleven thoracics and all known skeletons of _arnuxii_ appear to have ten thoracics, it seems probable that this difference is specific. At all events, it is correlated with a difference in the form of the vertebræ themselves. As is well known, the transverse processes of the thoracics in this family undergo a sudden change of form and position near the end of the series, the elevated processes on the anterior thoracics being replaced on the posterior vertebræ by others at a lower level on the sides of the centra. This change takes place differently and on different vertebræ in the two species under consideration.

VERTEBRÆ.

In _B. arnuxii_ the eighth thoracic has no facet at the posterior end of the centrum for the articulation of the head of a ninth rib and no distinct transverse process, the tubercle of the rib articulating with a facet on the side of the metapophysis. In _B. bairdii_ the eighth thoracic is similar, but there is a distinct facet at the posterior end of the centrum. (Pl. 32, fig. 1.)

In _B. arnuxii_ the ninth thoracic has a very distinct transverse process on the side of the centrum, while in _B. bairdii_ the ninth thoracic has a short, slender process attached to the side of the metapophysis and no facet at the posterior end of the centrum. (Pl. 32, fig. 1.)

In _B. arnuxii_ the tenth thoracic is the second one having a distinct transverse process, and the latter is broad distally and has the articular facet on the posterior portion of the free margin. In _B. bairdii_ the tenth thoracic is the first having a distinct transverse process on the side of the centrum. (Pl. 32, fig. 1.)

There are only ten thoracics in _B. arnuxii_, as already mentioned, but in _B. bairdii_ there are eleven, and the eleventh is that which bears the second transverse process on the side of the centrum.