172 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



complete survey of the literature of Right whales, and believes that there are at least 

 four species of Right whale in the oceans of the world, a view that has yet to be sub- 

 stantiated. If the Northern and Southern Right whales eventually turn out to be the 

 same species they will provide a very striking example of discontinuous distribution. 



The Southern Right whale still occurs in the southern oceans in small numbers, but 

 its hunting has been prohibited in the Dependencies of the Falkland Islands for many 

 years. Hinton (1925) states that in 1914 Barrett-Hamilton was told that Right whales 

 were taken when found with other species, but that they usually kept to themselves to 

 the north-west of South Georgia and were not worth specially hunting there. During 

 the seasons 1909/10-1917/18 the numbers of Right whales taken in the Dependencies of 

 the Falkland Islands varied from nine to ninety-nine each season with a total of 397 for 

 the nine seasons {Rep. Interdep. Committee, 1920). Although the species is not protected 

 in South African waters, there are only four records of its capture in Cape Province 

 during the seasons 1920-7, the four whales being two females with their accompanying 



calves. 



MATERIAL 



On two occasions while the Discovery staff was working at South Georgia, Right 

 whales were killed by mistake and brought into the whaling station, where they were 

 examined. These were whales Nos. 503 and 3560. A further specimen was taken by 

 special permission and brought into Leith Harbour, South Georgia, where its skeleton 

 was prepared for the British Museum (Natural History). Though not examined in the 

 flesh by the scientific staff a number of measurements are available from this whale. 

 The skeleton was afterwards lost ; while awaiting shipment an avalanche from the nearby 

 mountain overwhelmed the old part of the whaling station at Leith Harbour where 



it lay. 



In 1926 a female Southern Right whale and her calf were killed and brought into the 

 whaling station at Saldanha Bay, Cape Province, where they were examined by members 

 of the staff. These are whales Nos. 1019 and 1020. Finally, the writer was able to 

 keep a Right whale under observation for some time at close quarters in one of the 

 bays at the northern end of South Georgia in 1925, and the observations and sketches 

 then made are here reproduced (Plate XVII). 



MEASUREMENTS 

 A number of the standard series of measurements, used for Blue and Fin whales, 

 were taken, together with a few extra ones. They are set out in Table I, and may serve 

 as a basis of comparison with the measurements of Right whales from other localities. 



COLOUR 

 Colour notes were made on whales Nos. 1019, 1020 and 3560. They are as follows: 

 No. 1019, adult female: general colour black. An asymmetrical pure white irregular 



patch over the abdomen with a further white patch extending from it on the left side. 



Demarcation from the black very sharp (Plate XII, fig. 2). 



