RORQUALS OR FIN WHALES 231 



Japanese coast, only five had a quantity of sardines in their 

 stomachs, although the Japanese name for the Sei means 

 " Sardine Whale " ; the remainder had been eating only the 

 small crustacean Euphausia (krill). In the North Atlantic 

 this whale, in addition to eating krill, feeds very largely on a 

 little crustacean which, in spite of its importance as a food 

 supply, is without a popular name, and is known only by the 

 Latin one of Calanns finmarchicus. About one-quarter of the 

 size of krill, C alarms occurs in immense quantities in the cold 

 northern waters, and besides being the food of the Sei Whale, 

 whose silky close-knit baleen fringes seem admirably adapted 

 to deal with it, it forms an important part of the diet of the 

 ordinary herring. Millais, describing the Sei W T hale feeding, 

 says, " They go through the water very slowly, rolling in the 

 usual fashion, without turning on the side ", and Andrews also 

 observes, " Captain H. G. Melsom tells me that he has never 

 seen one turn upon its side, as do Humpbacks and Finbacks ". 

 The " blow " of the Sei Whale resembles that of the Finner, 

 but, correlated no doubt with the smaller size of this species, 

 it is neither as dense nor as high. When the whale sounds it 

 does not arch its body into a curve, as do the Blue and Finner 

 Whales, but keeps more or less rigid and shows comparatively 

 little of itself above the surface of the water. It very rarely 

 jumps completely out of the water, but in the water " for 

 short bursts of speed ", says Andrews, " no other whale 

 can approach Bala?noptera borealis. As soon as the harpoon 

 strikes its body, if the iron does not penetrate a vital place 

 the animal dashes off at a tremendous pace for perhaps a 

 third of a mile or less, but soon tires and swims slowly there- 

 after. During the initial rush I believe the Sei Whale can 

 attain a speed of 30 miles per hour ". 



PIKED WHALE OR LESSER RORQUAL 



(Bal&noptera acutorostrata). Fig. 65. 



The smallest of all the Rorquals, the Piked WTiale or Lesser 

 Rorqual most nearly resembles the Finner in general appear- 

 ance, but it is of a somewhat stouter build. The snout is 

 shorter for its width compared with other Rorquals, and it is 



