APPEARANCE AT THE SURFACE 125 



miles. In one of these chases at 13.00 hr. the ship came upon an area of about a square mile where 

 ten to thirty whales were blowing leisurely. No krill was to be seen but a concourse of blackfish and 

 dolphins crossed the area during our work. The whales were swimming close under the surface, came 

 within a stone's throw of the ship and allowed themselves to be marked ; they seemed to be crossing 

 and rccrossing the area. When the ship passed on to another region, the whales there showed the 

 timidity of those we had seen earlier in the day. 



Although no krill was visible, the presence of dolphins and blackfish presumes an abundant food 

 supply: and though there is no direct evidence that the whales were feeding, their behaviour bore 

 a resemblance to that of the whales met with on 1 1 January and contrasts with that of others in the 

 immediate neighbourhood but outside this concentration, which were seen at almost the same time 

 and under the same weather conditions. 



The salient points may be thus tabulated : 



(i) The presence of food is inferred from the concourse of the smaller as 



well as of the larger cetacea. 

 (ii) The whales were close to the surface, 

 (iii) The schools were of varying size, 

 (iv) They were blowing leisurely and at short intervals, 

 (v) The whales were quite unconcerned. 



On 8 January around the Shag Rocks, in the middle of the day from 10.00 to 16.00 hr., the whales 

 showed an unconcern for the ship which was in marked contrast with their usual behaviour. Chasing 

 was begun at dawn in fine calm weather. Whales were plentiful and schools, varying in size from 

 three or four to ten or twenty individuals, were discerned on various cjuarters of the horizon. Marking 

 efforts were not unsuccessful, for as many as three or four hits in a school of six or seven were sometimes 

 recorded before the school in question split and those whales took to prolonged flight. The whales 

 were not sounding for more than 2-3 min. and, until disturbed, they were blowing leisurely. 



Between eight and ten o'clock the attitude of the whales changed: they became scarcer and were 

 more difficult of approach. Marking all but came to an end. The schools seemed to have scattered 

 and apparently regardless of the operations of the ship, the whales seemed to have split up into twos 

 and threes. They were remaining down for long periods (5-7 min.), and when they came up they 

 were usually up to half a mile from the ship and blowing, if unhurriedly, also a trifle stertorously. The 

 ship takes about 3 min. to steam half a mile ; but however leisurely the whales were blowing— and they 

 blew at least five or six times — 3 min. was ample for their purpose. The ship was invariably on the 

 scene too late and the whales sounded just before a shot was possible. 



The whales paid no particular attention to the ship ; when blowing they swam on a straight course 

 and they did not deviate as we approached them. When they next appeared, they again had ample 

 time to blow five times before the ship could reach them ; as it did so they sounded. 



In the evening, between 16.00 and 18.00 hr., whales again tended to coalesce and again allowed them- 

 selves to be pursued, and an average of one to two hits in a school of three to five whales was scored. 

 The whales remained below for shorter periods (2-4 min.), and when on the run sounding lasted for 

 still shorter periods (1-2 min.). 



Later still, the whales had gathered into even larger schools. At 20.00 hr., a school of some twenty 

 had been formed. They were continually breaking surface and blowing, and appeared to be disporting 

 themselves. At first marking was easy, the whales swimming round without heed. At the sound of 

 the guns they began to make off, but those we chased played around the ship as do dolphins ; they 

 leapt high though not completely out of the water, appeared now on the starboard bow, now on the 



