I9IO' ScHARFP. — The Irish 'Whale Fishery, 231 



and floats along the surface of the water for a time, numerous 

 minute organisms, chiefly surface Crustacea, find their way 

 into the mouth. When this is closed again, the water is efiect- 

 ually strained out through the sieve-like plates, while the 

 internal hairs prevent the food from CvScaping. Further 

 particulars will be found in Mr. Beddard's work on whales.^ 



The general use of whalebone for ladies' dresses is, of course, 

 well known, but another use that is made of the fine internal 

 fringes has been revealed to me by Mr. W. S. Green, the Chief 

 Inspector of Irish Fisheries. He informs me that they are 

 now employed for the manufacture of barristers' wigs, because 

 they are light and retain the curl better than ordinary hair. 

 It may not also be generally known that, in the manufacture 

 of high class silks, the fine threads of whalebone are sometimes 

 used for stiffening the tissue. 



The whalebone or baleen in the Right Whale is perfectly 

 black in colour. All the other whalebone whales possess 

 whalebone of a much inferior quality, and all have great 

 furrows along the throat and a back fin. 



The largest living mammal, the Blue Whale {Balae7iopiera 

 Sibbaldi) or " Blauhval" as the Norwegians call it, belongs to 

 this group. Mr. R. M. Barrington tells me that one measur- 

 ing 88 feet long was obtained off" Inishkea in July, 1908. 

 Three other species of the same genus occur off the Irish 

 Coast, viz. : the Common Rorqual, called " Finhval " by the 

 Norwegians, the Northern or Rudolph's Rorqual, or 

 "Seihval," and the smallest of all, the Lesser Rorqual, or 

 " Vaagehval." Finally, the so-called Humpback or "Knolhval," 

 is easily distinguished from the other whalebone whales by 

 its enormously long white flippers. On the lotli July, 1908, 

 Mr. Barrington wrote to me mentioning that 42 whales 

 belonging to the following species had passed through the 

 factory on Inishkea : 



Right Whale .. .. 5 specimens 



Common Rorqual . . . . 5 ,, 



Sibbald's Rorqual . . . . 4 „ 



Rudclphi's Rorqual ... 27 ,, 



Humpback » . . . i „ 



42 » 



1 Beddard. F. E. A Book of Whales. I,ondou, 1900. 



A 2 



