Since 1902 a series of octavo volumes containing papers relating to the botanical collections of the Museum, and known as the Contributions from the National Herbarium, has been published as bulletins.
The present work forms No. 73 of the Bulletin series.
Richard Rathbun,
Assistant Secretary, Smithsonian Institution,
In charge of the United States National Museum.
Washington, D. C., June 1, 1910.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Page. [Introduction] 1 [Descriptions of skulls and skeletons of Ziphioid whales] 3 [Genus Mesoplodon] 3 [Mesoplodon bidens] 4 [densirostris] 9 [europæus] 11 [stejnegeri] 24 [Genus Ziphius] 30 [Ziphius cavirostris] 30 [Genus Berardius] 60 [Berardius bairdii] 60 [Genus Hyperoödon] 76 [Hyperoödon ampullatus] 76 [List of species of existing Ziphioid whales] 76 [Index] 79 [Explanation of plates] 83
AN ACCOUNT OF THE BEAKED WHALES OF THE FAMILY ZIPHIIDÆ IN THE COLLECTION OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM, WITH REMARKS ON SOME SPECIMENS IN OTHER AMERICAN MUSEUMS.
By Frederick W. True,
Head Curator, Department of Biology, U. S. National Museum.
INTRODUCTION.
The beaked whales belonging to the family Ziphiidæ are, with the exception of the bottle-nosed whales of the genus Hyperoödon, among the rarest of cetaceans. Of the three genera Mesoplodon, Ziphius, and Berardius, so far as I have been able to ascertain from published records, specimens representing about one hundred individuals are known, and somewhat more than one-half of these belong to the first-named genus. Berardius is the rarest genus, only about fourteen specimens having been collected thus far. The U. S. National Museum contains specimens representing some twenty-five individuals of the three genera, or about one-fourth of the material at present available. Among these are six specimens of the genus Berardius, or nearly half of all that have been recorded thus far.