72 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



suppose the sides correspond. There are also some thick 

 hair-like bristles at the thorax end of the baleen, about I 2 

 a side. 



In a Megaptera of 45 feet long there were 325 plates of 

 baleen on each side. I have seen a double plate of baleen 

 from a Finner. It looked as if two had grown together. 

 Whalers roughly calculate 2 cwt. of clean baleen from a 

 Finner. But taken freshly from the jaw, I think the baleen 

 must weigh 4 cwt. 



In many parts of the Finner whale there is a consider- 

 able amount of glue, but the difficulty exists that it will not 

 settle when treated. In the skin between the epidermis and 

 the blubber the glue is more easily treated and more plentiful. 

 Before next year three of the four stations in Shetland will 

 be supplied with manure works, and the carcases will then be 

 worked up entirely. At present all the oil made in Shetland 

 is sold in Glasgow. The market for the baleen is Paris. 



Since writing the above I have been given the figures of 

 the Olna station, Shetland, by the kindness of Mr. Henriksen. 

 Fishing with four steamers, the Company got a total of 179 

 whales 174 Finners, 2 Balfenoptera borealis, and 3 Hump- 

 backs. The measurements of the Finners seem too small in 

 this case. The figures work out 



101 bulls average length 58.1 feet. 

 73 cows 58.5 



The cows still have the largest average, though the 

 lengths of the two biggest bulls are given as 62 and 62 feet ; 

 the lengths of the two biggest cows as 6 1 and 6 1 feet. One 

 uniform way of measuring is much to be desired. The pro- 

 portion of bulls to cows is interesting, 58 per cent were bulls 

 to 42 per cent of cows. 



The two B. borealis were 38 and 37 feet. Of the 

 Megaptera the lengths given are 46/47, and 49 feet, of which 

 the two last were bulls. 



Ol.LABERRY, SHETLAND. 



