The general form was slender and elongate. The beak sloped gradually from
its extremity to the forehead, and there was no constriction separating
the beak from the remainder of the head. Behind the blowhole, the outline
of the back commenced at a higher level, but immediately curved slightly
downward, indicating the position of the neck. The line then rose
gradually until the anterior base of the dorsal fin was reached. Behind
the fin the outline sloped downward gradually to the flukes.
The dorsal fin was relatively small, falcate, and obtusely terminated.
The distance in front of its anterior base was three-fifths of the total
length. Its posterior margin was continuous with the ridge of the back,
which extended to the flukes and terminated abruptly a little anterior to
the middle point of the antero-posterior breadth of the flukes. In front
of the fin the back was rounded.
The pectoral fins were small and were placed low down on the sides. Their
anterior base was as far removed from the eye (in a straight line) as the
eye was from the extremity of the beak. Their shape was somewhat
different from that of the flippers of _M. bidens_ figured by Sir William
Turner.[27] Their anterior margin was nearly straight throughout; the
extremity was evenly and distinctly rounded off. The posterior margin was
slightly convex in the distal half and straight proximally.
The conformation of the region of the axilla was quite peculiar. The hard
integument of the posterior margin of the flipper was continued
proximally inward and forward to a point near the head of the humerus.
The triangular area between this stiff edge and the side of the body was
occupied by a thin, soft, wrinkled skin, in the middle of which the
olecranon could be felt. On the side of the body this soft integument
occupied an area nearly as large as the flipper, the underlying thick
layer of blubber ending abruptly, especially below. A depression was thus
formed in which the flippers could be placed so as to be almost in the
same general plane with surrounding surfaces of the body. They are
probably so placed when the animal is swimming.
The flukes had the general lunate form common to all species of the
order. The posterior margin is not divided in the center. Its middle
third was convex; its lateral thirds concave. In these and other respects
the shape of the flukes agreed closely with Sir William Turner’s
excellent figure of _M. bidens_.[28] The antero-posterior breadth of the
flukes was, however, somewhat greater in proportion to their transverse
breadth than is indicated in this figure. The caudal peduncle terminated
above at a point 6½ inches in front of the posterior margin of the
flukes. On this margin were situated three star-shaped white scars, which
appeared to mark the points of attachment of crustacean parasites.
The margins of the upper jaw were very obtuse posteriorly, the rostrum
being covered with a layer of blubber of gradually increasing thickness.
A depression bounded by gradually converging lines extended 4¼ inches
back of the angle of the mouth.
The inferior surface of the bony palate extended below the level of the
lips, and the sides of the former were visible upon looking into the
mouth laterally.
The blowhole was large and somewhat unsymmetrically placed, the right
angle being the more anterior. The concavity was forward.
The eye was situated a little below the line of the mouth and 20¼ inches
from the extremity of the snout.
The external opening of the ear was 2⅞ inches behind the posterior angle
of the eye, and a little below the line of the lower eyelid.
The two throat-furrows were of unequal length. The left furrow was 6¾
inches long, and its anterior end was distant 8⅝ inches from the
extremity of the jaw. The right furrow did not extend quite so far
forward, and was 7⅜ inches long.
The furrows converged posteriorly; they were separated by an interval of
⅝ inches anteriorly and 5⅛ inches posteriorly. Between the anterior ends
of the main furrows was a small one, about an inch long, but it is
doubtful whether this was a natural fissure. I did not observe it when
the whale was in Atlantic City.
The natural color of the specimen had largely disappeared before I
examined it, but Captain Gaskell and others who saw it while still fresh
agreed that it was very dark slate-gray on the back, lighter on the
sides, and whitish on the belly. I observed that a broad area between the
pectoral fins was slate-gray, and contrasted with the white of the throat
and belly. The whitish color ended somewhat abruptly and irregularly at
the anus, and the flukes, as well as the pectoral and dorsal fins, were
probably very dark slate-gray, or blackish, when fresh.
The epidermis was exceedingly smooth and glossy throughout.
The tongue was purplish-white. The roof of the mouth was black, except at
the posterior end, where there was an irregular area of pinkish-white.
The integument of the roof of the mouth was smooth and shining. Its
surface was convex at the extremity of the beak, but the central portion
was concave, while at the posterior end it was again raised into a
rounded pad. In these respects the shape of the integuments coincided
with that of the underlying maxillæ, upon which they were closely fitted.
The sides were rounded, and a shallow groove intervened between them and
the lips. This groove was continued around the roof of the mouth behind,
and formed a demarcation between this part and the œsophagus.
The tip of the tongue was 7½ inches from the extremity of the jaw. It was
oval in outline, the extremity is obtuse, and it was entirely bound down.
The margin was entire, and not crenulate, as in many dolphins.
Dorsal and ventral views of the stomach are shown in Pl. 40, figs. 1 and
2; a dorsal view of the lungs in Pl. 13, fig. 5; and of the perineum in
Pl. 40, fig. 3. A description of the gross anatomy is reserved for a
subsequent paper.
The external dimensions of the Atlantic City specimen of _M. europæus_
are given in the following table, together with those of nine European
specimens of _M. bidens_ taken from various authors, and assembled here
for purposes of comparison. The dimensions of the Annisquam specimen
which, as already explained (p. 9), represents a third species, are also
added.
_External dimensions of Mesoplodon europæus, M. bidens, and M.
densirostris._
Column headings:
_M. europæus._
C: Atlantic City, 1889, U.S.N.M. male, imm.
_M. bidens._
D: Brodie House, Scotland, 1800, (Sowerby), male, adult.[a]
E: Overstrand, England, 1892, (Southwell), female, adult.
F: Dalgety, Scotland, 1888, (Turner), male.
G: Hillville, Kerry, Ireland, 1864, (Andrews), male (?).
H: Hevringholm, Denmark, 1880, (Reinhardt), female, adult.
I: Rugsund, Norway, 1901, (Grieg), male, adult.
J: Saltö, Sweden, 1885, (Aurivillius), male, young.
K: Landenæs, Norway, 1895, (Grieg), male.
L: Ostend, Belgium, 1835, (Dumortier), female, young.
_M. densirostris?_
M: Annisquam, Mass., 1898, (Allen), female.
Measurements. C D E F G H I J K L M
mm. mm. mm. mm. mm. mm. mm. mm. mm. mm. mm.
Total length 3,810 4,877 [b]4,828 4,597 4,572 [f]4,315 4,605 3,870 3,700 3,450 3,708
**Error unbreakable string:[b]12′6″ 16′ **Error unbreakable string:16′2″ **Error unbreakable string:15′1″ **Error unbreakable string:15′± **Error unbreakable string:=13′9″ **Error unbreakable string:15′1ࡩ″ **Error unbreakable string:12′8″ **Error unbreakable string:12′2″ **Error unbreakable string:11′4″ **Error unbreakable string:12′2″
Tip of upper jaw 470 ... ... [c]572 559 602 475 530 500 440 ...
to blowhole
Tip of upper jaw ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 520 ... ...
to eye
Tip of lower jaw [d]889 ... ... ... ... 1,098 1,000 970 930 910 ...
to pectoral fin
Back of dorsal [1,156] ... [e]1,803 ... ... [1,190] 1,590 1,280 [1,130] 1,150 ...
to back of
flukes
Length of base 356 ... 349 324 ... 366 400 340 330 ... ...
of dorsal fin
Length of eye 25 ... ... ... ... 46 40 37 ... ... ...
Length of mouth 248 457 432 ... 343 373 ... ... ... ... ...
(upper jaw)
Length of mouth ... ... 445 349 356 392 ... 320 320 ... 343
(lower jaw)
Length of throat [f]173 ... 298 ... 254 248 ... ... 300 ... ...
furrows
Distance between 131 ... 241 229 178 157 ... ... 217 ... 254±
throat furrows
posteriorly
Height of dorsal 152 ... 191 203 ... 209 215 170 160 130 ...
fin
Breadth of flukes 889 ... 1,118 ... ... 994 1,130 1,000 820 680 ...
Flukes to anus ... ... ... ... ... ... 1,290 1,090 [950] 1,000 940
Length of [g]279 ... [h]546 ... ... [i]392 515 440 380 ... ...
pectoral fin[k]
Greatest breadth 95 ... ... ... ... 131 170 120 115 ... ...
of pectoral fin
[a] Type-specimen.
[b] Straight.
[c] To center of blowhole.
[d] From tip of upper jaw (curvilinear).
[e] Curvilinear.
[f] Left. The right=192^mm.
[g] Along center. Along anterior border = 292^mm±.
[h] Along anterior border.
[i] Straight; point of measurement not given.
[j] Along side.
[k] From anterior base, unless otherwise indicated.
Since the foregoing account of _europæus_ was written, a description of
the type-skull, with two excellent photographic figures, has been
published by L. Brasil,[29] of the Caën Museum. A comparison of the
figures with those of the Atlantic City and Long Branch skulls on Pls. 2
and 8 of the present article, confirms the identification of the latter
specimens with _M. europæus_. Besides a brief description of the
type-skull M. Brasil’s paper contains measurements and two text figures
of the right mandibular tooth, natural size.
MESOPLODON STEJNEGERI True.
_Mesoplodon stejnegeri_ True, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 8, p. 584.
Oct. 19, 1885.
This species was originally described from a single cranium of a young
individual, which was collected by Dr. L. Stejneger on Bering Island,
Commander Group, Bering Sea, in 1883. With but a single skull, the
characters of the species could not be very satisfactorily defined, and
some European cetologists have been inclined to doubt its validity.[30]
In 1904, however, another skull was obtained by the National Museum,
which made it certain that the species was entirely distinct from _M.
bidens_ or other known forms of the genus. Early in the year mentioned
Dr. D. S. Jordan, president of Stanford University, called my attention
to a small whale, which stranded on the coast of Oregon, 1½ miles south
of the United States life-saving station on South Beach, Yaquina Bay,
near Newport, in February, and proved later to represent the present
species. Doctor Jordan’s information was obtained from Mr. J. G.
Crawford, of Albany, Oregon, who wrote him in part as follows, under date
of March 7, 1904:
Herewith I enclose a stereograph of a head of a member of the whale
family, which I made at Yaquina Bay, Oregon. The animal was 17 feet
long, with fluked tail, soft, smooth skin, blowhole on top of head, and
two tusks in the mandible, but no [other] teeth in the mouth. The tusks
are thin and apparently hollow. Length of head, 32 inches; width, 14
inches; height, 11 inches; blowhole, 5 inches. Eyes low on head. Width
of mandible [jaw] at end: Upper, 1½ inches; lower, 1¾ inches. Width
between tusks, 3 inches. The blubber was about 2 inches thick on the
head. It went ashore about the 15th of February, 1½ miles south of the
life-saving station on South Beach, 2½ miles south of Newport, Oregon.
The head had been severed before I arrived.
A clipping from the _Oregonian_ newspaper contains the following:
Albany, Oregon, March 2 [1904]. A peculiar specimen of the whale
variety has been reported on the Oregon coast, near Newport. J. G.
Crawford, of Albany, has just returned from a trip to Newport, where he
made a picture of the head of the strange animal. The body was washed
upon the beach during the recent storm which swept the coast. It is
about 15 feet long. * * * Residents of the vicinity say they have never
seen anything like it on the Oregon coast. * * * On either side of the
mouth are two villainous-looking tusks several inches in length. They
are at the back of the mouth, and extend up to a level with the top of
the upper jaw. They are very wide and flat, squared on top. The mouth
has no other teeth. * * *
The head is equipped with a blowhole, like that of a whale. The eyes
are very low, almost underneath the lower jaws.
The body is in a good state of preservation, the flesh having been torn
but little by the birds.
On receipt of the foregoing information, letters were immediately
addressed to Mr. Crawford and also to the keeper of the life-saving
station at South Beach, Capt. Otto Wellander, asking that, if possible,
the entire skeleton be preserved. Captain Wellander replied that the
whale had not been dead long when washed ashore; that he had tried to
find the body, but that the high tides had either carried it away or
buried it under driftwood.
The skull when cleaned passed into the possession of Mr. J. G. Crawford,
who sent to the Museum some excellent photographs of it, and also of the
head before the flesh had been removed. Later he sent the skull itself to
the Museum for my examination, and finally very generously presented it
to the Museum in exchange.
The skull is that of an adult individual, in nearly perfect condition,
with the mandible and teeth. The parts missing are the left malar, the
left tympanic bone, the distal ends of the pterygoids and the proximal
ends of the premaxillæ. (Pl. 3, fig. 2.)