200 



HARD WICKE 'S S CI EN CE-GO SSIF. 



there are two recognized species of Right-whale, one 

 Caperea antipodorum (Gray), not found further north 

 than 40° south latitude ; the other, Eubahtna aiis- 

 ij-alis (Gray), found as near the equator as 20° south 

 latitude. Dr. Gray does not recognize Balcena 

 biscayensis as a good species, and accounts for the 

 absence of the Right-whales, formerly found in British 

 waters, from the disturbed state of the seas, owing to 

 the great increase in traffic of ships, and especially 

 steam-vessels, which, he says, "appears to restrict 

 their visits, and especially their breeding, more to 

 the Arctic portion ; thus some whales, which were 



been seen in summer as far north in Baffin's Bay as 

 ships have succeeded in penetrating, whilst its south- 

 ward range in winter was always limited by a rather 

 northerly degree of latitude. This, they show, has 

 gone on with the greatest regularity for at least 80 

 years, during which they have constantly made their 

 appearance at the same places, at the same season, 

 without the slightest alteration having taken place. 

 The fact of the whales always following the ice floes 

 will account for their being found in the spring in differ- 

 ent latitudes ; thus, on the Greenland coast, they are 

 found, at this season, in latitude 65° 25' ; but in Davis 



Fig. 157. The Greenland or Right-whale {Baltrita Hfysiicfius). 



formerly said to be common on the coast of Britain 

 as the Right- whales, no longer visit this country." 

 Eschricht, however, has clearly shown that the habits 

 and localities frequented by the northern Right-whale 

 have remained unchanged for many years, as proved 

 by the record kept by the whaling stations established 

 by the Danish government on the west coast of 

 Greenland. The fishery at these stations was pro- 

 secuted from the shore Avhen the whales appeared 

 upon the coast in the winter months ; as the spring 

 advanced they followed the receding ice, and have 



Strait, in 61° to 62°, always, however, inseparable 

 from the ice. Messrs. Eschricht and Reinhardt thus 

 conclude : " It seems, therefore, that the whales have 

 not retreated farther north, as they are still found 

 within precisely the same limits in which they were 

 found at the beginning of the persecution, but in num- 

 bers so diminished that the fishery will hardly repay 

 tiie trouble and expense attending it." The southern 

 limit of the Right-whale in the Northern ocean may 

 be shown by a line drawn from the coast of Lapland 

 at 70°, just touching the southern point of Iceland, 



