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Show 1876.] DR. J. V. H A A S T O N ZIPHIUS NOVJE-ZEALANDLE. 467 The head was much swollen. The whole skeleton, with the exception of a few bones, was secured for the Canterbury Museum, where it now stands articulated in one of its rooms. The accompanying drawing (Plate X L V . fig. 2) gives its outline. Before, however, entering into a description of the principal portions of the skeleton, I wish to draw attention to the fact that our specimen did not possess a dorsal fin; nor did a careful examination by Mr. Fuller of the central line of the back reveal the least fragment of one, or even the indication that it ever existed. However, this absence cannot be claimed as a generic character, because the Ziphius australis of Burmeister (see the excellent Memoir on that species in 'Anales del Museo Publico de Buenos Aires,' part v., by that distinguished veteran naturalist) possesses a well-developed dorsal fin. Moreover the forehead of the New-Zealand species is much swollen, whilst the head of the South-American species previously alluded to is tapering. Thus, in the enumeration of the principal characteristics of the genus Ziphius (see amongst others Gray's ' Catalogue of Seals and Whales,' page 340), this feature also must lose generic value. Dr. Hector, in the 'Transactions of the New-Zealand Institute,' vol. v. page 165, has given a short description of the skull of a specimen, under the name of Ziphius chathamiensis, which, if not belonging to the same species, is closely allied to the animal of the New-Zealand coast. That skull was obtained on the Chatham Islands. However, as amongst minor differences the form of the teeth is different, I have thought it more expedient to describe the New- Zealand specimen under the specific name of Ziphius nova-zea-landia, leaving it to the future student, when more material has been collected, to determine whether there are two distinct species or not. The skull (Plate X L V I . fig. 2) has the following dimensions:- Extreme length with lower jaw .. ., Extreme length of cranium, point of rostrum (which is broken off) restored Length of rostrum, from the apex of the prsemaxillse to the middle of the line drawn between the anteorbital notches Greatest height, from top of nasals to lower border of pterygoids Greatest breadth, across postorbital processes of frontals Breadth of occipital condyles „ of foramen magnum Height of foramen magnum Breadth of base of rostrum between bottom of anteorbital notches Breadth of rostrum in the middle Anterior nares, greatest width of the two Height of crest above occipital foramen Width of occiput ft. in. 3 3-12 3 1*50 1 7*89 1 5*52 1 10*75 6*30 42*0 2-22 1 0*91 4*83 3*20 1 2*93 1 4*60 |
