Shortest diameter of foremost tooth groove 45 1.77 (transverse) Greatest diameter of posterior tooth groove 40 1.58 (longitudinal) Shortest diameter of posterior tooth groove 35 1.38 (transverse) Distance between the tooth grooves 65 2.56 This specimen was found stranded in Stare Gavan, on the eastern shore of Bering Island in the fall of last year, and only the skull was preserved. From analogy I should judge that the entire length of the animal must have been about 18 feet (5½ meters). This species is well known by the natives for the cathartic quality of the blubber, resembling in this respect the Atlantic “Dögling,” or “Anarnak” (_Hyperoödon diodon_). The Russian name, by which the inhabitants here designate this whale, is _Pla-un_ (sp. Pläoon), while the Aleut name is _Kigan agalusoch_, the meaning of which is said to be “having teeth on the nose,” a very inappropriate designation, as the teeth are situated on the tip of the lower jaw, and not on the nose.[53] SIZE. It will be observed that the largest of the foregoing specimens measured 40 feet 2 inches in length, while the Centerville skeleton was reported to be about 41 feet long. The largest example of the New Zealand species, _B. arnuxii_, of which there is a record was 32 feet long. COLORATION. The St. George Island specimens were reported to be black on the back and white below, but it is not certain how long they had been dead when found by Mr. Judge. The young individual examined by Doctor Stejneger was also black on the back, but this was in a state of decomposition. The color of the type-specimen of _Berardius arnuxii_ was described by Arnoux as follows: “Its color was entirely black, except for a light gray area near the genital organs; it was a male.”[54] Haast remarks of a young individual observed by him near New Brighton, New Zealand, and not in a fresh condition: “The color of the whole animal was of a deep, velvety black, with the exception of the lower portion of the belly, which had a grayish color.”[55] The color of the immature male of _B. arnuxii_ captured in Wellington Harbor, New Zealand, in 1877, and described by Hector, was as follows: “The colour was black with a purple hue, except a narrow band along the belly, which was grey. The muzzle, flippers, and tail lobes were intensely black.”[56] It is not likely that there is any marked difference in the color of _arnuxii_ and _bairdii_, but the data available are insufficient for the determination of the matter. It will be observed, however, that Mr. Judge stated that the male _bairdii_ found on St. George Island was white below, while in all the accounts of _arnuxii_ the color of the under surface is given as blackish, with a restricted area of gray.