WHALE MARKING 263 



o and 50 W. In the next month, however, the move westwards continued, so that the 

 whaling fleet in these waters became concentrated between 30 and 6o° W. The catch of 

 Blue whales in February decreased considerably, whilst that of Fin whales increased, 

 so that the latter became the more important quarry. It seems unlikely that the 

 region to the east of the South Sandwich Islands would have become so deserted if 

 whales in quantity had been present there, and it thus appears probable that the consider- 

 able number of Fin whales that passed South Georgia and the Shag Rocks at the end of 

 December and during January, when, as is obvious, there was no strong easterly move- 

 ment, have continued on courses similar to those indicated by the captured marked 

 whales (Nos. 6554, 6609, 7036), and may have provided the catch of almost 3000 Fin 

 whales made in February and March between the South Sandwich and the South 

 Shetlands Groups. 



The 'William Scoresby's' work during the season 1937-38 was partly designed to 

 investigate further this movement of Fin whales from South Georgia towards the 

 Weddell Sea. Fin whales were marked during the first eleven days of January in the 

 Scotia Sea between the South Sandwich Islands and the South Orkneys. Marks from 

 ten of these whales were returned the same season after an average lapse of twenty-five 

 days and after periods of six to fifty-four days. With one exception (No. 10826) they 

 show movements between south and south-west. On 12 and 14 January more Fin 

 whales were marked a little to the west of the South Orkneys. Three of these (Nos. 10903, 

 10946, 10949) were killed later in the season after an average lapse of forty-nine days and 

 after periods between forty-five and fifty-four days. Without exception these whales 

 show movements with direction between east and south-east. This suggests that here a 

 second stream of whales may be flowing in from the west and, moving eastwards, 

 passed the South Orkney Islands. 



From the whaling grounds lying to the south of South Africa and extending eastwards 

 to Enderby Land fourteen marked whales have been reported captured during the 

 same season as they were marked. Of these, no details have been returned for two 

 and a third was killed the same day as marked. The remaining eleven were taken after 

 periods varying from 4 to no days and after an average lapse of twenty-six days. The 

 whale (No. 2513) taken after the longest interval (no days) shows a movement almost 

 due south. It was marked on 1 December 1934 a little to the north of the pack-ice, and 

 recovered on 20 March 1935 more than 900 miles farther south, when again it could 

 not have been far from the pack-ice. Whatever courses it may have followed during the 

 four months between marking and capture, its general movement has been to work 

 southwards, apparently following the retreating ice-edge. The same general movement 

 is shown by a second whale (No. 2077) marked in the middle of December of the following 

 season in almost the same longitude, and recovered in February nearly 500 miles to the 



southward. 



The direction of the movements of these two whales, as shown on the chart (Plate 

 LIV), is the resultant of their movements during the course of the season. A third whale 

 (No. 3300), however, marked in the same neighbourhood shows what may be the 



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