Some notes on the Cetacea of the Irish Atlantic coast / by R.J. Anderson.

  • Anderson, Richard John, 1848-1914.
Date:
[1905]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Some notes on the Cetacea of the Irish Atlantic coast / by R.J. Anderson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    701 imen did suggest relationships with Ziphius Cuvieri'. yevor, who examined the drawings and read the descrip- wide at the lower part of the nares, whilst the right is 11 cm. wide at the anterior limit of nares. The walls of the rostral groove are thick, much thicker than in the first found specimen which had thin and brittle outer walls. The vomer presents a hollow surface in the floor of the groove. The left nasal is much smaller than the right and the internasal su- ture runs outwards, downwards and forwards. A groove runs along the outer side of each maxilla for 20 cm. and along the upper margins of the lower jaw for 41 cm. A large socket is situated on each side of the apex of the lower jaw, each is 18mm from before back by 13mm from side to side, for the two teeth. The teeth are conical or double conical, the fang of each is trun- cated (see Irish Naturalist, June 1904); both teeth are concealed by the mucous membrane. The condyles of the occipital bone are 6 mm. apart in front and 76mra behind. The premaxillae which reach far back in the middle line of the palate are separated from each other for 110mm by the vomer. The premaxillae form the apex of the beak also and extend backwards for a distance of 15 cm. (beneath) the maxillae externally. The palatines, as was pointed out, reach the middle line behind the vomer. The palato-maxillary suture runs forwards, inwards and back- wards, and bounds anteriorly a surface that is 4 cm. broad at the middle line and the same breadth at the bend forwards. The maxillae make an acute angle between the palatines. The cranial cavity could not be satisfactorily measured. It appears to be 19 cm. from before back 35 cm. from side to side and 17cm,5 in height. Ihe skull in the smaller specimen is less asymmetric than the present example, which is half as large again as the first. Ihe sternum of the first has four pieces separated by three foramina, pla< ed at the joints, the foramina being in the middle line as usual. The llio n.i^al bones are conjoined in Ziphius, There are differences in the tympanic and naso-premaxillary bones.