ON THE WHALE FISHERY FROM SCOTLAND 87 



The COMMON RORQUAL, or Firmer (J3. musculus, Lin.), or, as 

 it is often called from its attenuated appearance, the " Razor-back," 

 is the Fin Hval, or R6rhval = Reed Whale, of the Norwegians. It 

 is too well known on our own coast to need much description. 



The males, which are perhaps slightly the larger, are from 60 to 

 a little over 70 feet long. There is a variety which is regarded by 

 the Norwegian whalers as a hybrid between this and the Blue 

 Whale, which is said to be larger than this species and of a lighter 

 colour. 



The colour of this whale when living is grayish black on the 

 upper surface, changing to black after death a change to which all 

 whales are subject. The throat, belly, and flippers black, under 

 parts white. The whalebone does not exceed 3 feet in length, 

 is slate gray veined with darker colour and fading to a yellowish 

 colour in the bristles, and short anterior plates (Fig. 3, Plate IV.). 

 It is a great fish-feeder and is sometimes known as the " Herring " 

 Whale, and although so emaciated in appearance it yields a fair 

 quantity of oil. 



The BLUE WHALE (B. sibbaldii, Gray), Blaahval of the 

 Norwegians, is the largest of the Rorquals, and the whaleman's 

 chief prize. Although reaching the enormous length of 80 feet and 

 perhaps more, it is a fairly robust and shapely animal, very active, 

 and capable of attaining great speed. Before the invention of the 

 bomb harpoon it would have been hopeless to attempt its capture. 

 One harpooned by a Newfoundland whaler in Placentia Bay in 

 March 1903, not being struck in a vital part, towed the steam 

 whaler "Puma" a distance of 122 miles, the screw being reversed 

 at full speed the whole time, and not until 26 hours had elapsed 

 was it exhausted and killed. On the west side of the Atlantic it 

 is known as the " Sulphur-bottom," from a tinge of yellow which is 

 sometimes present on the under part, but the general colour is 

 dark bluish gray on the upper surface, lighter on the sides, the 

 throat and belly more or less flecked with white. The flippers are 

 dark above, with the lower edge and under surface white ; the 

 dorsal fin low and placed far back ; and the baleen, including the 

 bristles, black, under 3 feet long the largest slip Mr. Cocks ever 

 saw was 34 inches long and over 24 inches broad at the gum (Fig. 

 4, Plate IV.). The baleen is frequently infested with a species of 

 copepod known as Balcenophilus unisetus. Its food consists almost 

 entirely of small Crustacea : it does not therefore enter into com- 

 petition with the fishermen. Dr. Guldberg is of opinion that the 

 Blue Whale does not reproduce its species oftener than once in 

 three years ; it is thus easy to predict its speedy extirpation, more 

 especially as many of those killed are gravid females. 



The small whale known as RUDOLPHI'S RORQUAL (B. borealis, 

 Lesson), the Sildehval (Herring Whale) or Sejhval (Colefish W 7 hale) of 



