210 The Irish Naturalist. [August, 



NOTES ON IRISH CKTACKA. 



BY R. I^I^OYD PATTl^RvSON, F.I,.S. 



The perusal of Mr. Beddard's recently published " Book of 

 Whales " led me to re-read Dr. Scharffs article on this subject 

 in the April number of the Iiish Naturalist \ and to endeavour 

 to further elucidate a little-known subject I have referred to 

 my notes, and think the following may be considered of 

 sufficient interest to justify its insertion in the same Journal. 

 Omitting anything that has already appeared in ni}^ book on 

 " The Birds, etc., of Belfast I^ough," and coming to more recent 

 years, I find in my fishing notes of 1892 to 1897, both 

 included (I have none since) numerous references to the 

 Cetacea. The Porpoise is of almost daily occurrence, and 

 need not be further mentioned. Three others, namely, the 

 common Beaked (better known as the Bottle-nosed) Whale, 

 Hyperoodon rostratus ; the Ca'ing, or Pilot Whale, Globicephalus 

 melas ; and the Rorqual, Balcsouoptera inuscuhis, occur, I may 

 say, every autumn ; and I have occasionally seen all three 

 here in one day, the first and last- mentioned generally singly 

 the others sometimes singly, but also sometimes in small 

 " schools " of from two or three up to four or five or so 

 together. They can be distinguished by the different shape of 

 the heads— the ''beak" of the first-mentioned, the blunt, 

 rounded front of the second, and the flat topped head of the 

 third being distinctly seen when the animals come to the 

 surface to breathe or to attack a " ball " of fry. I have numerous 

 and some interesting notes of them — one to the effect that I 

 have no doubt the two larger species sometimes look round 

 them in a leisurely manner when they come to the surface ; 

 for I have often observed them change the direction of their 

 course and go straight to a "play" of birds over a "ball " of 

 fr}^ towards which their attention had been directed when 

 on the surface, by sight or sound, or both, of the birds hovering 

 and crying over and dipping on the fry. 



If they rise pretty near and to windward a strong fishy 

 odour is very evident. 



