"A fine specimen of this species [Balanoptera rostrata], over 30 feet long, went ashore during the autumn of 1866, on the Long Beach, N. J. It was much injured, probably by the killers. This species has not been before noticed on our coasts."

It is evident that he thought the whale to be B. acuto-rostrata at this time, but in the same Proceedings, 1868, p. 159, he is quoted as making the following statement on June 23d, 1868:

"He [Prof. Cope] mentioned that he had opportunity of examining a portion of a specimen of the Scrag Whale of Dudley, Balana gibbosa of Erxleben, and ascertained that it represented a genus not previously known. It was a fin-back whale, but without dorsal fin or throat folds, resembling superficially the genus Balana. The baleen short and curved. The genus was called Agaphelus.

"A second species of the genus was to be found in the gray whale' of the coasts of California. The baleen of this species, compared with that of the A. gibbosus, was longer and had narrower basis. The plates moderately and simply concave, while those of the latter are sigmoidal, most curved near the outer margin in cross section. The bristles of the California species were very coarse, varying from one to three series between the enamel plates. The bristles of the A. gibbosus much finer, three series together. Length of the latter, 8.5 inches, width at base, 4.4 inches. In the gray whale or Agaphelus glaucus Cope, 22 inches in length, width at base 6 inches. In the former nearly 6 in an inch, in the latter 2. The baleen of the A. gibbosus belonged to an immature specimen of 35 feet in length."

I understand this to be the specimen that Cope referred to in 1867 under the name of B. rostrata, as appears from the same Proceedings, 1868, p. 224, where he cites that reference in synonymy. He now calls it Agaphelus gibbosus Cope, and gives the estimated length of the specimen, which was young, as 43 feet.

At the beginning of this article, on p. 221, he makes the following statement:

'During the autumn of 1866 a whale was cast ashore on the Long Beach, Ocean Co., N. J., opposite Westecunk, on the other side of Little Egg Harbor, near the residence of Wm. A. Crane. A recent visit to the spot furnished me with the means of determining the species to which this monster of the deep belonged, although not with the completeness desirable, as the tide had a short time previously taken off the most bulky part of the carcass. Thus the cranium, cervical and dorsal vertebræ, with the first ribs, the most important portions for its identification, were lost. There were preserved, however, the mandibular arch, ear-bone, one scapula and both fins, numerous ribs, many lumbar and caudal vertebræ, with the baleen from one side of the maxilla. These portions, with a few prominent points dependent on the observations of Wm. A. Crane, serve to indicate a species not only new to our fauna, but new to modern science. The evidence of my informant, as that of an old and experienced coaster and waterman, and one familiar with the appearance of our cetaceans, confirmed by his sons and by the specimens preserved, so far as they went I consider reliable.

"In general features this Cetacean seems to be an intermediate form of the toothless whales; and an additional feature, which depends on the observation of my friend W. Crane, and in which I cannot conceive it possible that he should be mistaken, indicates still more conclusively that it pertains to a genus not before characterized. The whale was first driven on shore on its back, and the gular and

thoracic regions were seen to be entirely without ridges or plica of any kind, but as smooth as any other part of the body, or as the throat of a right whale, Balana cisarctica Cope, which is not uncommon on the same coast."

At the end of description, on page 225, he remarks:

"The owner of the whale tried out about one-fourth of the blubber, and procured sixty-five gallons of oil, which would give about four hundred gallons for the whole; the thickness of the adipose layer would not average 4 inches, the greatest thickness was 5 inches.

"This species was black above and white below, the sides lead-colored, with longitudinal shades of the darker color; fins, basal half white, terminal black.”

The genus and species are again commented upon by Cope in the same Proceedings, 1869, pages 14-15, and were subsequently mentioned and discussed by various authors and still appear in current lists of cetaceans. In 1884, however, in commenting in the American Naturalist, 18, p. 1123, on my list of cetaceans for the London Fisheries Exhibition, Cope remarks:

"The Agaphelus gibbosus must be withdrawn from the list of authentic species. The bones which I referred to it are probably those of Balaenoptera rostrata. The characters of the animal in the flesh were given me by persons whom I supposed to be trustworthy, but who may have been mistaken. The species may, however, be the Balana gibbosa of the old authors."

From the evidence it seems extremely probable that Cope was right in coming back to his original view that the specimen was one of B. rostrata. The color of the whalebone and of the pectoral fin would especially seem to indicate that species; and the misstatement regarding the length of the animal, etc., may be explained on the ground that Cope examined only a portion of the skeleton. The chief circumstance which led him to erect the genus Agaphelus seems to have been that the fishermen who found the specimen on the beach affirmed that the throat was without folds and that there was no fin on the back. The statements regarding these parts appear to have been made to Cope about two years after the animal was observed and there was abundant time for the real facts to have been forgotten.

The matter was complicated by two other circumstances: First, that the fishermen have long recognized a whale called the Scrag whale, which is said to have the same characters which Cope's specimen was supposed to have; and, second, that Cope at this time became acquainted with the fact that there was a whale on the Pacific coast which had the smooth throat and back, namely, the Gray whale (Rhachianectes). The existence of this whale on the Pacific coast made it probable that a similar species might be looked for on the Atlantic coast.

In 1869, as already stated, Cope established the genus Rhachianectes (83, 15) for the California Gray whale, thus leaving the supposed Atlantic "Scrag whale" as the only representative of the genus Agaphelus. As the latter was founded on a Balaenoptera, the generic name Agaphelus should be expunged from the literature.

Cope states, as noted above (26, 221), that the mandibular arch, an ear-bone, one scapula, both fins, numerous ribs, many lumbar and caudal vertebræ, and the baleen from one side of the maxilla were preserved. The whereabouts of this material could not be ascertained. It does not appear to be in the Philadelphia Academy. Cope (26, 221) gives measurements of some of the parts, which may be compared with Turner's Granton (Scotland) specimen (92, 68), as follows:

This correspondence of Cope's specimen with a well-authenticated B. acutorostrata is very interesting.

CHAPTER IV.

THE COMMON FINBACK, BALÆNOPTERA PHYSALUS (LINN.).

This species is the "Common Finback" of European waters. Hundreds of individuals have been taken at the Finmark whaling stations since 1874, and scores have been recorded as stranding at various points on the coasts of Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. The species has been, on this account, more carefully studied than any other Finback. Sars's diagnosis of the species, published in 1878 (79, 17), is as follows:

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66

Length of full grown individuals reaching to 70 feet.

'Body slender; the greatest height scarcely exceeding the length; behind the navel very much attenuated, the posterior half very narrow and maintaining almost the same depth throughout.

"Color above and on the left side of the lower jaw dark gray, below white; color of the back descending obliquely behind the pectoral fins so as to leave only a narrow median longitudinal area (below) along the posterior part of the body. "Mouth equalling about the length of the body; upper jaw seen from above very narrow, wedge shaped, gradually decreasing in width toward the apex.

"Pectoral fins small, scarcely exceeding the length of the body, narrowly lanceolate, with the posterior angle often but little distinct; the external surface showing the color of the back, the internal surface and the whole anterior margin, white.

"Dorsal fin quite high, triangular, with the scarcely curved apex directed obliquely backward; situated behind a vertical line drawn through the anal orifice. "Caudal fin uniformly white below, with the margins dusky.

"Whalebone dull bluish, varied with lighter color; some near the apex [of the upper jaw] white."

The admirable figure accompanying Sars's article (plate 2) agrees exactly with the diagnosis. It represents the right side of the whale, showing the lower jaw and the anterior whalebone white, a character of importance, as will appear later. Sars's diagnosis in Norwegian is somewhat fuller than that in Latin, which is translated above, and may be profitably included here:

"Length of full-grown individuals reaches to 70 feet.

Body of especially slender and attenuated form, with the greatest height never exceeding the total length, back of the navel suddenly and strongly diminishing, so that the whole of the posterior portion of the body becomes unusually small and almost everywhere of one height as far as the root of the flukes.

"Color above and also on the left side of the under jaw quite light gray, brownish, or passing into sepia color. The color of the back, as in the Little Piked whale, descends obliquely from the pectoral fins across the sides of the body, and on the part lying behind the vent there is only a very narrow and sharply defined white stripe along the ventral side.

"The length of the mouth is about equal to the total length, and the upper jaw seen from above is quite narrow, conical, or uniformly decreasing in breadth toward the tip.

"The pectoral fins are very small, scarcely exceeding the total length, narrow, lanceolate, with the posterior angle unusually little prominent. On its outer side showing the color of the back, but the inner side and the whole of the anterior border pure white.

"Dorsal fin proportionally rather high (at least in males) and of a triangular form, with the tip not strongly curved, and directed obliquely backward. It lies rather far back, immediately behind a vertical line drawn through the anus.

"Flukes, pure white on the lower surface, with dark margins.

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Whalebone, dark bluish and somewhat variegated, but with the exception that some of the most anterior of it is yellowish white as in the Little Piked whale."

In preparing for my first trip to the Newfoundland fishery at Snook's Arm, I brought together in abstract form all the principal external characters assigned to this species by the more recent European authorities, and for convenience of refer ence they are given in brief form below:

Female ("bastard "), 80 ft. 6 in. (Cocks.)

Proportion of length of jaws to total length (average.)

20.8 per cent. (F. W. T., compiled.)

(Length of mouth from tip of lower jaw

=

the total length = 20 per cent.

SARS.)

Variation: Length of mouth = 19.5 to 22.5 per cent. (F. W. T., compiled.)

Proportion of length of pectoral (from axilla) to total length (average).

Variation: 9.9 to 11.3 per cent. (F. W. T., compiled.)

(Flower gives 8.7 per cent. for the Portsmouth, England, specimen, 1869.)