In regard to differences between this skull and those of M. densirostris it should be stated that in the latter the premaxillary foramina are situated farther apart, and that the maxillary foramina are situated considerably in advance of those of the premaxillæ instead of nearly in line with them.
The Annisquam skull approaches M. europæus in several characters, but these are such as europæus shares with densirostris. The principal ones are the breadth of the maxillæ in front of the orbits, the presence of the malar in the base of the anteorbital notch, and the convexity of a part of the inferior surface of the pterygoids.
Dr. Glover M. Allen has given an account of the exterior, skeleton, and teeth of this specimen, from which the following particulars are extracted:[19]
Regarding the Annisquam specimen no color notes were taken, but from a few small photographs in the possession of the Boston Society of Natural History, it appears evident that the ventral portion was of a lighter tint, and in one of the views a few oval whitish spots are seen on the side a trifle behind the middle portion of the body. Another view shows the convexity of the posterior margin of the flukes at the median point, as well as the prominent dorsal fin. The lower jaw protruded slightly beyond the upper. Measurements of this specimen, as noted by Professor Hyatt, are as follows: Total length, 12 feet 2 inches; from anus to bight of flukes, 3 feet 4 to 6 inches; across flukes, 3 feet 1 inch; from tip of rostrum to angle of mouth, 1 foot 1½ inches. The gular furrows were noted as about 10 inches long and from ¼ to ½ an inch deep.
The teeth of the Annisquam specimen barely projected above the alveoli of the jaws and are sharply mucronate. The basal portion of each, however, is more like that of the male’s tooth [M. europæus] in the slightly convex posterior outline and the forward extension of the anterior angle. * * *
The Annisquam skeleton has 45 vertebræ. Four of the seven cervicals are fused. The atlas, axis, and third cervical are firmly anchylosed throughout, save for the lateral foramina for the passage of the cervical nerves. The fourth cervical is fused to the third by the dorsal spine on the left side and by the tip of the upper lateral process of the same side. Its centrum, right half of the dorsal spine (the spine is divided medially), and the remaining lateral processes are free. * * * The epiphyses of the fourth and fifth cervical vertebræ and the anterior epiphysis of the sixth cervical are fused to their respective centra, but all the other epiphyses of the vertebral column and of the pectoral limbs are free.
The Annisquam skeleton has nine dorsal vertebræ with their corresponding pairs of ribs. * * * The sternum of this specimen presents few points of interest. It consists of four pieces, the anterior-most of which is largest, slightly hollowed above, and correspondingly convex below. The three remaining pieces are nearly flat, with a deep median notch at the anterior and posterior border of each. The posterior piece evidently represents a fusion of the elements of two segments, as there are articular surfaces for two pairs of ribs.
From the foregoing, it appears that the Annisquam specimen probably had one or two vertebræ less than bidens or europæus, and that the sternum was somewhat differently shaped. The tooth, which is figured by Doctor Allen, is conical, compressed, 54 mm. long, 30 broad at the base, and resembles teeth of immature bidens.
Although with such scant material it is not possible to determine satisfactorily the identity of this third species of Mesoplodon in the North Atlantic, represented by the Annisquam specimen, I feel convinced that that specimen does not belong to M. bidens and that there is a strong probability that it belongs to M. densirostris. It is true that the latter species has been found hitherto only in the Indian Ocean and about Australia, but we know so little about the distribution of the ziphioid whales that, in my opinion, that circumstance by itself should not be given very great weight.
MESOPLODON EUROPÆUS (Gervais).
Dioplodon europæus Gervais, Zool. et Pal. franç., 1st ed., vol. 2, 1848-1852, p. 4; 2d ed., 1859, p. 289, pl. 40, figs. 3-6. Dioplodon gervaisi Deslongchamps, Bull. Soc. Linn. Normandie, vol. 10, 1866, p. 177. Neoziphius europæus Gray, Suppl. Cat. Seals and Whales Brit. Mus., 1871, p. 101.
This species was based on a single specimen found floating in the English Channel about seventy years ago. An account of the circumstances under which it was found was given by Eugène Deslongchamps in 1866, as follows:
The head, which forms the subject of this last note, was given to my father some twenty-five or thirty years ago by Mr. Abel Vautier, a merchant and armorer of our town, who died at Paris two years since.
The captain of one of Mr. Vautier’s ships, on his return from a voyage to the colonies, saw floating on the water, at the entrance to the English Channel, the body of a large animal entirely covered by birds (large and small gulls, etc.), which were devouring it. The ship approached the stray, and the captain, knowing that Mr. Abel Vautier was greatly interested in natural objects, had the head of the cetacean cut off, fastened it securely with a cord, and let it trail behind the ship. When he arrived at Caën he made a present of it to Mr. Vautier. The piece had at that time an appearance anything but agreeable. Mr. Vautier was especially fond of beautiful objects which please the eye, and hence he offered it to my father, saying, “You, who are an anatomist, can make better use of this than I can.” My father was unwilling to refuse the present, but neither he nor Mr. Vautier knew as yet of its extreme rarity. It is in fact, up to the present time, the only specimen which exists, and is a unique object in collections.[20]