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Show 556 ON THE CETACEANS OF THE GREENLAND SEAS. [Nov. 12, nation of some individuals of a drove which came into the Frith Forth in the spring of 1867 (Journ. Anat. and Phys. 1867, and Proc. Roy. Phys. Soc. Edin. 1866-67 ined.)*. 15. HYPEROODON BUTZKOF, Lacep. Monodon spurius, O. Fab. Faun. Grcenl. p. 31. no. 19. Chcenocetus rostratus (Miill.), Eschr. Undersog. over Hvaldyr. 4de Afh. 1845 ; Reinhardt, Tilkeg til en Beskrevet af Gronland (Rink), p. 11. Popular names.-Bottle-nose or Bottlie (English whalers) ; Nabbhvul (Scandinavians); Andarnefia(Icelanders); Dvgling(Faroe-islanders) ; Anarnak (Greenlanders). This is undoubtedly the 31onodon spurius of Fabricius, that author having made the not uncommon mistake of describing the upper for the lower jaw. As it is a rare animal on the Greenland coast, Fabricius could have been but little acquainted with it. The Whale is only seen about the mouth of Davis Strait, swimming in threes or fours; it is occasionally captured by them, as one will yield as much oil as a Narwhal. One ship's crew some years ago killed fifteen of them, and the oil was represented to me as mixing well with spermaceti, and selling for the same price, viz. 10s. 6d. per gallon. 16. HYPEROODON LATIFRONS, Gray. Lagenocetus latifrons, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 241. This species is known from skulls and skeletons from various museums, and as an Arctic animal from a skull brought from "Greenland" by Capt. Wareham, and now in the Newcastle Museum. Greenland, however, is a loose term ; but from what I have said as to the range and habits of H. butzkof, we may safely conclude that it was obtained in Davis Strait. 1 am not aware that we have any external characters to separate it from the preceding, but yet the apparently constant distinction presented by the skull would lead us to believe in its distinctness. Therefore, though we may not go so far as Eschricht in believing it to be the male of H. butzkof, yet we must hesitate before joining in the opinion of even such an experienced zoologist as Dr. Gray as to its claim to generic rank. * In the Society's 'Proceedings' for 1853, p. 103, there is a notice of a paper " O n the Capture of Delphinus orca in South Greenland," by M . Rehuller, in which it is said that the number taken at Westmanhavn since 1843 was 2200, whereas between 1819 and 1843 there were only 280. This additional capture, amounting in the aggregate to the value of £4000 sterling, was described as being due to the introduction of nets. Now there is no such place as " Westmanhavn " in Greenland, and I question if 2200 Orcas have ever been killed in Greenland since the beginning of time. Apparently the notice refers to the capture of Globiocephalus in the Faroe Islands. |