COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA 



169 



whalers. When whales are plentiful in inshore waters the catchers will naturally not go 

 farther afield, and we have evidently no means of knowing how abundant whales may 

 be in the unexplored parts. When, however, a large area is covered we may be confident 

 that within its limits no considerable concentration of whales existed without being 

 detected. In using the charts as evidence of distribution of whales this limitation must 

 constantly be borne in mind. 



During the seasons with which we are dealing whaling in South Georgia was con- 

 ducted from five land stations and, until 1929-30, from one permanently moored floating 

 factory, all situated on the north-east coast of the island (Fig. i). The whale-catchers 



Willis Is. 



SOUTH GEORGIA 



LZ 



gerite Rks. 



Fig. I. South Georgia, showing positions of whaling stations. 



were thus working from the same base throughout the season. At the South Shetlands 

 conditions were different, for the land is heavily glaciated, and it is only at Deception 

 Island, where the ice is melted by lingering traces of volcanic activity, that the erection 

 of a shore station has been possible. In addition to this station there is a considerable 

 number of floating factories, and these though often moored at Deception Island, were 

 frequently shifted to other harbours. Those most often used were Admiralty Bay in 

 King George Island, Melchior Harbour in Schollaert Channel and Port Lockroy in 

 Neumayr Channel (Fig. 2). Other harbours in Trinity Island and in Gerlache Strait 

 were occasionally used, and in some seasons, when ice conditions were exceptionally 

 favourable, the factories went as far south as the Biscoe Archipelago. On approaching 

 the whaling grounds in the spring the factories were often delayed by pack-ice, and not 

 infrequently they worked for a period along the ice edge in the neighbourhood while 

 awaiting the opportunity to enter Bransfield Strait. Since the whale-catchers do not 

 ordinarily go more than 100 miles from the parent ship, it is evident that the position of 



