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 | b4,828 | 4,597 | 4,572 | f4,315 | 4,605 | 3,870 | 3,700 | 3,450 | 3,708 |
| b12′6″ | 16′ | 16′2″ | 15′1″ | 15′± | =13′9″ | 15′1ࡩ″ | 12′8″ | 12′2″ | 11′4″ | 12′2″ | |
| Tip of upper jaw to blowhole | 470 | ... | ... | c572 | 559 | 602 | 475 | 530 | 500 | 440 | ... |
| Tip of upper jaw to eye | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 520 | ... | ... |
| Tip of lower jaw to pectoral fin | d889 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1,098 | 1,000 | 970 | 930 | 910 | ... |
| Back of dorsal to back of flukes | [1,156] | ... | e1,803 | ... | ... | [1,190] | 1,590 | 1,280 | [1,130] | 1,150 | ... |
| Length of base of dorsal fin | 356 | ... | 349 | 324 | ... | 366 | 400 | 340 | 330 | ... | ... |
| Length of eye | 25 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 46 | 40 | 37 | ... | ... | ... |
| Length of mouth (upper jaw) | 248 | 457 | 432 | ... | 343 | 373 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Length of mouth (lower jaw) | ... | ... | 445 | 349 | 356 | 392 | ... | 320 | 320 | ... | 343 |
| Length of throat furrows | f173 | ... | 298 | ... | 254 | 248 | ... | ... | 300 | ... | ... |
| Distance between throat furrows posteriorly | 131 | ... | 241 | 229 | 178 | 157 | ... | ... | 217 | ... | 254± |
| Height of dorsal fin | 152 | ... | 191 | 203 | ... | 209 | 215 | 170 | 160 | 130 | ... |
| 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 pectoral fink | g279 | ... | h546 | ... | ... | i392 | 515 | 440 | 380 | ... | ... |
| Greatest breadth of pectoral fin | 95 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 131 | 170 | 120 | 115 | ... | ... |
a Type-specimen. b Straight. c To center of blowhole. d From tip of upper jaw (curvilinear). e Curvilinear. f Left. The right=192mm. g Along center. Along anterior border = 292mm±. 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.