SPECIES OF WHALEBONE WHALES 



205 



and (1938c) that Sei whales are born at about 4-5 m. Here we have less data, but the 

 figures are quite compatible with the maximum foetal measurements given in the 

 International Statistics. As to the Southern Right whales, the International Statistics, 

 no. xi, p. 36, record three foetuses of 17 ft. 2 in., 19 ft. 4 in. and 19 ft. 9 in., i.e. 5-2, 

 5-9 and 6-o m. These seem remarkably large for this species, and it appears that birth 

 must take place at about 6-o m., for the Discovery records include a calf which 

 measured 6-5 m. 



Table 2. Size range. Largest and smallest whales measured by 

 Discovery Committee's staff 



The largest and smallest whales measured by the Discovery Committee's staff are 

 shown in Table 2. The minimum measurements are of little significance, and a better 

 indication of the length range of the whales on which observations were made is given 

 in Table 3. Here the shore station measurements are a little more reliable than those 

 from factory ships because the former were all taken by trained observers, whereas in 

 factory ships some of the measurements were necessarily made by members of the 

 whaling personnel. In the International Statistics there are records of Blue whales up 

 to 102 ft., Fin whales up to 88 ft., and Sei and Humpback whales up to 57 ft. While it 

 is quite possible that these maxima may be correct, they cannot, for reasons given on 

 p. 228, be regarded as fully authenticated. However, the maximum sizes included in the 

 limited Discovery data must obviously be exceeded from time to time, and it may be 

 mentioned that Major F. A. Spencer, while acting as whaling inspector in the ' Southern 

 Princess', confirmed the measurement of an 85 ft. (25-9 m.) female Fin whale. 



WEIGHT 

 Information on the weights of whales is very scanty, and the present notes are intended 

 only to give a rough indication of the weights of large whales and a summary of the 

 literature on the subject. Table 4 is a list of authentic instances of whalebone whales 

 which have been weighed piecemeal during the process of dismemberment, and full 

 details of the weights in parts (except the last) are available in the references. The 



