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Art. XVI.—Description of the “Cow-Fish,” or “Bottle-nosed Dolphin” (Tursio metis) of the Sounds, on the West Coast of Otago).
[Read before the Otago Institute, October 26, 1875.]
Tursio metis. Grey.
Teeth, 23/22—exactly the third of an inch. Body elongate, thickest in front. The dorsal commences before the middle of the back, and its height is less than the length of the pectorals. Pectorals as long as the gape; falcate, on a constricted base. Lower jaw, longer; attenuated portion of the snout, short.
Colour.—Above and upper jaw, dark slate-blue, passing gradually into white below—the white of the under parts not reaching to the caudal. Dorsal, pectorals, and caudal, slate-blue, without spot.
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Female—length, 7 ½-feet.
The specimen here described was presented to the Otago Museum by Captain Fairchild, of the Colonial steamer “Luna,” and is one of two captured in Useless Bay, Dusky Sound, on the 10th of May, 1875.
The other specimen captured was also a female, and measured 9 ½-feet in length.
The following are the dimensious:—
| Feet. | Inches. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total length along the curve of the side | 7 | 6 |
| " " " back | 7 | 6 |
| Length from snout to blowhole | 1 | 2 |
| " " " eye | 1 | 1 |
| " " " dorsal | 3 | 5 |
| Dorsal—Width at base | 1 | 0 |
| Height | 0 | 9 |
| Anterior margin | 1 | 3 |
| Pectoral—Length | 1 | 1 |
| Breadth at base | 0 | 5 |
| Caudal—Spread | 1 | 10 |
| Anterior margin of lobe | 1 | 1 |
It is remarkable how very closely these measurements agree with those given by Dr. Hector in the “Trans. N.Z. Inst.,” Vol. VI., p. 85, of a porpoise that he refers to as Delphinus forsteri.
The following are the dimensions of the skull:—
| Inches. | |
|---|---|
| Total length | 19 |
| Length of beak | 11 |
| Width at orbits | 9 |
| " " notch | 4 ½ |
| " " middle of beak | 3 |
| Length of lower jaw | 15 |
| " " teeth line | 8 ½ |
The skull agrees very well with the figure of T. metis, in the “Voyage of the ‘Erebus’ and ‘Terror;’ but the teeth are rather closer together, owing probably to the same number of teeth being in a smaller jaw.