2 3 2 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



Walvis Bay. From the International Statistics (no. II, p. 29) it appears that a land 

 station worked here from 1912 to 1914 and from 1923 to 1930. The catches in 1912 and 

 1 91 3 consisted mainly of Humpbacks, but in later years this species almost disappeared 

 from the catches and Blue whales became predominant. A moderate number of Fin 

 whales were also taken. Whaling at Walvis Bay was only on a small scale. 



Natal. The whaling industries of Natal (at Durban) and Cape Province are the two 

 most important in the southern hemisphere apart from the summer whaling in the 

 Antarctic. Land stations at Natal, varying from one to six, have been in operation con- 

 tinuously from 1908 and the composition of the catches has on the whole been very 

 consistent. In contrast to the tropical centres at which little is taken apart from Hump- 

 backs, we find here that Blue, Fin, Humpback and Sperm whales all make a substantial 

 contribution, and not a few Sei whales are also taken. The Sperm whales are mostly 

 taken in the later part of the season. (See International Whaling Statistics, no. 11, 

 pp. 13, 28, and no. xm, p. 8.) 



Cape Province. Here also the whaling is conducted from land stations. Saldanha Bay 

 is the principal centre, but a little whaling has also been done at Hangklip. Operations 

 were continued from 1910 to 1930 and were resumed in 1936 and 1937. As at Natal the 

 catches have varied little from year to year, though in 1936 and 1937 Blue whales were 

 scarcer than before. Up to 1930 Blue and Fin whales were the predominant species, 

 and Humpbacks and Sperm whales have always been scarcer than at Natal. Sei whales 

 often figure largely in the catches. (See International Whaling Statistics, no. 11, p. 29, 

 and no. xm, p. 8.) 



Chile and Peru. This region is not so easily classified as the others, for the statistics 

 include the catches of land stations at such places as Talcahuano, Corral and Magallanes 

 as well as those of factory ships working from the equator to the southern parts of the 

 Chilean coast, and separate returns from the different localities have not always been 

 accessible. Mr Paulsen gives me the following particulars. A land station at Corral 

 (province of Valdivia) worked from 1910 to 1930 and from 1935 to 1938. In 1912 there 

 was also a land station at San Pedro; in 1935-8 there were land stations at Talcahuano 

 and Magallanes. In 1910 and 191 1 a factory ship worked off the southern part of the 

 Chilean coast ; in 191 1 two more worked from San Pedro ; in 191 2 a factory ship worked 

 from Corral and another from San Pedro; in 1914 two factory ships worked along the 

 west coast as far north as Ecuador ; in 191 5 one worked off the south coast of Chile ; and 

 in 1935-8 factory ships operated off the coast of Peru apparently between 4 and 17 S 

 and between 73 and 8i° W. It seems clear that the factory ships working off the coast 

 of Peru took large numbers of Sperm whales, and that the catches at Corral consisted 

 on the average of roughly equal numbers of Blue, Fin, Humpback and Sperm whales. 

 The catches at Corral are thus not unlike those at Durban. (See International Whaling 

 Statistics, no. II, p. 34, and no. xm, p. 10.) 



The localities so far considered are those at which whaling takes place in coastal 

 regions in the southern winter from about May to October. 1 We have now to 



1 It is not clear, however, whether the whaling off the coast of Chile is conducted in the winter months. 



