are close together ; the anterior ones in the lower jaw are an inch in length, slender,
and sharp-pointed, with the points slightly incurved and projecting outside those of
the Upper jaw.*’
A skull of a Platanist from the Ganges measuring 12 inches in length and
thus strictly comparable with! the foregoing Indus skull, présents all the features
described as characteristic Of P. gangetica var. minor ; all the occipital elements have
almost wholly coalesced, complete union having taken place between thé bàsi-
occipitals and exoecipitals, the only portion of a suture remaining unclosed being a
very limited part between the exoecipitals and supra-occipitals ; all the other sutures
of the skull have very much the characters they have in adult life, but they want
the well-defined ridges which appear with age. The skull, however, is undoubtedly
the skull of a very young individual, as is fully verified by the condition of its vertebral
column and limbs. The teeth of this specimen exactly correspond to the
description given by Owen of P . gangetica var. minor. On the left side of the
upper jaw only eighteen teeth had perforated the gums, and nineteen on the right
side, but the piece of skin behind thèse teeth has dried off .the jaws, carrying along
with it the remaining teeth, and exposing the alveolar groove deprived of its teeth.
In the lower jaw all the teeth are present, as the skin has not peeled off ; they are
close together, sharp and pointed, and the largest tooth is about oné inch in length,
and they gradually diminish in length from before backwards. I am, therefore,
disposed to regard the characters which Owen considered as separating this Indus
skull as a distinct variety as in no way remarkable in a young specimen of Platanist,
and, that the dental features of the skull in question and the open alveolar groove
conclusively show it to have been the young of a large animal ; but whether the
Indus Platanist, which so closely resembles that of the Hughli, is specifically distinct
fronl it has yet to be proved. In habits, however, the two would appear to be the
same, as I gathered from replies to the queries on this point in my schedule of
questions.
With reference to JPlatanistæ from the Hughli, my experience has been the
reverse of Mr. Blyth’s, who, writing in 1863, states,—“ I have never obtained a male ”
of this animal. I have obtained many, and of these have tabulated the measurements
of nine skeletons and skulls, whereas the females observed by me have been
comparatively few.
In the accompanying tables (I to IV) I have given detailed measurements of the
skulls and skeletons of fifteen individuals, all of which were caught in the Hughli,
with the exception of Nos. 2, 5, and 14. I have also given the external measurements
of some of these animals (Table I), and in explanation of the seeming irregularity
in the dimensions ascertained, I have to state that the individuals to be
measured were invariably received unexpectedly, and generally partially decayed,
so that they were always hurriedly measured and before reference could be made
to previous notes.
TABLE I.
Table o f external measurements, fyc., o f a few Platanistce o f different ages and o f loth sexes.
Tip of snout to notch of tail, in a straight line
„ „ over the curve of bock and dorsal fin
„ to tip of dorsal fin, in a straight line
„ • „ „ following curve of back
„ „ to base of pectoral flipper in a straight
line . . . . .
„ , „ to anterior margin of blow-hole, in
straight line - .. . • •
„ „ to anterior margin of blow-hole, ovej
c u r v e .....................................
Blow-hole to highest point of dorsal ridge.
Tip of dorsal'ridge to median notch of t a il.
„ snout to umbilicus .
Umbilicus to anterior margin of genital orifice .
H ead—
Tip of snout to angle of mouth, in a straight line
Angle of mouth to eye . . . . .
„ „ shoulder . . . •
. , „ pectoral flipper
Bye to e a r ........................................................
„ front of blow-hole.....................................
Length of blow-hole ^ .
H | H „ external ear . . . . .
Diameter of • „ , ............................................
Longitudinal diameter of eye, external ocular orifice
Vertical diameter of eye, external ocular orifice
Tip of upper jaw to eye ,
Posterior margin of blow-hole to e ar.
Transverse breadth of gape . . •
Tip of lower ¡jaw to last tooth . . . . .
Gib t b s— '
Bound the head a t the blow-hole
At the neck, viz., halfway between blow-hole and
pectoral limb .....................................
At the umbilicus ' . . . • • .
At the posterior margin of the generative orifice
At the root of the tail T ••
L imb—
Length along the anterior border of the pectoral flipper
» „ posterior I ,, ,,
„ „ free margin of the same
Breadth, a t its base .
Girth „ „ « .• . ...
Distance between the flippers a t their base, round
the under'surface .
Dobs ad f in—
Length . . . •'
Depth or h e i g h t ..............................................
Ta il— ' % '
Length of the external margin of the caudal flipper
„ „ inte rna l;-,, ■ - „
Tip to tip of caudal flipper . . . .
Depth of the ,, . notch . .... . -
Transverse diameter of tail midway between base and
tip of flipper ■ . . . .
Genitalia—
Extreme length of genital orifice . .
Length of each mammary slit . ; .
Distance of mammary slits from genital orifice
„ anus from posterior end of genital orifice
Visobba—
Length of small intestine . . .
csecal appendage . . .
3 5 7 5
19-75
2012
2-36
7 0 0
6-25
¿•50
17-00
10-75
11-50
3-50
19-38
15-75
2 6 0 0
1-75
28-25
36-50
13-25
8-50
7-40'
59-00
61-25
3 8 0 0
2100
12-50
13-25
10-50
6-85
5-25
12-25
7-86
1 300
13-50
2-00
6-35
14-00
6 1 2
6-60
2-25
348-00
88-50
14-50
9 1 2
7-75
66 00
36-50
27-75
18-25
1-81
0-9p
012
0-02
0-02
0-30
1-87
85-50
8-00
1-00
... I 4-50
e captured in the Hughli. I t is the dolphin procured by Mr. Clay C.S., i