65 



ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



BALi^NOPTERA MUSCULUS : Common Rorqual. 

 The following gives the particulars of these whales : — 



To take the average of the last four years, the sizes and proportion 

 of bulls to cows works out — 



Of course, if the undersized animals were deducted, the average size 

 would be greater, as I pointed out in " The Annals of Scottish 

 Natural History" for July 1906, which showed the average length 

 of bulls to be 62.2 feet and cows 64.0 feet. 



The lengths of the largest bulls got this year were — 



Feet. 

 Shetland Station . . . 68, 67 



Alexandra ,, , . . 72, 72, 72, 65 



Olna ,, . . . 72, 70, 67 



Buneveneader ,, . . . 68, 68 



The largest cows measured- 

 Shetland Station 

 Alexandra ,, 

 Olna ,, 



Buneveneader ,, 



Feet. 



73, 71, 70 



74, 72, 71 



75, 73, 72, 72 



76, 73, 71, 70 



Bal^noptera sibbaldii : Sibbald's Rorqual. Blue Whale. 



Of the I 7 whales of this species killed at Buneveneader station 9 

 were bulls averaging 65.3 feet in length, 8 were cows averaging 67.6 

 feet. The largest was a cow of 80 feet, while the largest bull was 

 77 feet. It seems as if these whales do not attain the length they 



