It was easy to see, by the dorsal fin and by the numerous plaits or folds on the abdominal surface of the throat and chest, before any dissection, that the specimen was a young Balænopterous whale, differing in a great many points from the true whale or Mysticetus: for, 1st, the form of the head was entirely different; 2nd, it had a dorsal fin; and, 3rd, occupying the lower surface of the throat and thorax were numerous folds of the integuments. To this class of whales I have been in the habit of giving the name of Rorqual, to distinguish them from the other class of Whalebone Whales, the Mysticetus both borealis and australis.
It appears from my notes, that at that time M. G. Cuvier considered the species I now describe as identical with the Great Rorqual I had described about two years previously; but I felt convinced then, as now, that they form distinct species, and in this opinion some continental anatomists seem to coincide.
Being persuaded that there was some inaccuracy in former drawings of the species, I had the specimen suspended and drawn with great care by Mr. Edward Forbes. This position explained the mechanism of the mouth, showing its great size, even in the short Balæna Whales; its great capacity in the Mysticetus had never been doubted.
As to the species, the conclusion I arrived at was, that the specimen belonged to that termed by Fabricius rostrata, and that individuals of the species had been seen by John Hunter, Sir James Watson, and Fabricius.
| Measurements. | ft. | in. | |
| Total length of the specimen | 9 | 11 | |
| Circumference immediately behind the pectoral extremities | 5 | 2 | |
| Circumference where the folds or rugæ terminated | 4 | 8¼ | |
| Ditto of the tail at its origin | 1 | 5½ | |
| Length from the back fin to the setting on of the tail | 2 | 10 | |
| Length from the snout to the ear | 3 | 0 | |
| Length from snout to nostrils | 1 | 4 | |
| Length of lower jaw | 2 | 3 | |
| Length of arm; inner side | 1 | 3 | |
| Length from the angle of the mouth to the arm | 1 | 3 | |
| Length from snout to arm | 2 | 9 | |
| Length of tail in depth | 0 | 11 | |
| Length of back fin at the base | 0 | 8 | |
| Height of back fin | 0 | 8½ | |
| From top to tip of tail | 2 | 8½ | |
| Stomach:—1st compartment, in length | 1 | 2 | |
| 2nd compartment, in length | 1 | 4 | |
| 3rd compartment, in length | 0 | 8 | |
| 4th compartment, in length | 0 | 7 | |
| 5th compartment, in length | 0 | 3 | |
| Spleen weighed 4 ounces; its length was | 0 | 5 | |
| Liver, 9 lbs. | |||
| Small intestines, length | 20 | 0 | |
| Large intestines, length | 2 | 4 | |
| Kidney, weight 2¼ lbs. | |||
| Brain (including 2 inches of spinal marrow), 3½ lbs. | |||
| Cerebellum, pons, and 2 inches of spinal marrow, ¾ lb. | |||
| Great hemisphere of the brain measured 3 inches in length, in breadth, 6½; at the base, 8 inches. | |||
| Tuber annulare | 0 | 1-2/8 | |
| Olfactory nerves, in length | 0 | 1½ | |
| Ditto, breadth | 0 | 2½ | |
| Skeleton:—Length of cranium | 2 | 11 | |
| Greatest breadth between the orbits | 1 | 3 | |
| Length of vertebral column | 7 | 8 | |
When we compare the skeleton of this Rorqual with the Gigantic Rorqual I also dissected, we find as follows:—
| R. giganteus. | R. minor. | |||
| Cervical | vertebræ | 7 | vertebræ | 7 |
| Dorsal | 15 | 11 | ||
| Lumbar, sacral, caudal | 43 | 30 | ||
| —— | —— | |||
| 65 | 48 | |||
These differences must be specific.
At the extremity of the snout in either jaw there were 8 strong bristles, being the only vestiges of hair found on the external surface. The mouth was of great size; the tongue large and tolerably free, and of a pale rose or vermilion colour. The baleen, where deepest, measured about 4 inches; there were 370 plates on each side; but anteriorly and posteriorly these plates were reduced to mere bristles.
The isthmus faucium allowed the closed hand to pass through it; through this isthmus I do not believe that any water ever passes into the pharynx, unless it be accidentally, as in man. The "spout" of the Whalebone Whale is composed, no doubt, of the pulmonary vapour, and not of any water received into the pharynx from the mouth.