NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 219 



70° and 80° X. latitude, and 20° W. and 10° E. longitude, or to 

 Davis Strait. 



In the past season twelve Dundee ships went to the Davis 

 Strait fishing, capturing 48 Whales ; one went to Greenland for 5 

 Whales, and two of the Peterhead vessels took 23 Right Whales, 

 also in the Greenland seas. The total number of vessels employed 

 in the Seal and Whale-fishing, was fifteen from Dundee and five 

 from Peterhead ; but as will be seen above, they did not all go to 

 the Northern fishery. 



When the whaling was first prosecuted at Spitzbergen, or Green- 

 land as it was then called, the Whales were so plentiful and easy 

 of approach that they only required to be killed; there was very 

 little skill in whaling in those days. In 1697, 188 vessels killed 

 1959 Whales. The island of Spitzbergen was like a fair all 

 through the brief summer, and the various nationalities engaged 

 in the whaling all had their stations on the shore. To these they 

 brought the blubber and tried it out, employing carriers to take 

 home the oil and bone. This did not last long, however, and the 

 scared Whales soon left the shore and had to be followed farther 

 afield. At a later period, the Danes had settlements on the west 

 coast of Greenland, from which for many years they pursued the 

 Whales from the shore as they passed on their spring migration. 

 These stations, I believe, are now of very little importance, and 

 are chiefly of service for collecting the native produce of Seals and 

 Walruses. There is no reason to believe that the Greenland Right 

 Whale was ever found much south of its present habitat, and its 

 greater scarcity is probably due to actual extermination. In the 

 early days of the fishery from Peterhead, 20 or 30 was no uncom- 

 mon take for one vessel, and in 1814 seven vessels brought home 

 163 Whales, Capt. J. Suttar, of the "Resolution,'"' heading the list 

 with 44 fish. Such catches are never heard of now. 20 Whales for 

 one vessel is a very successful voyage; in 1880 the average was about 

 8, and in 1881, 5 whales per ship. The consequence is that the 

 captains give their attention to much smaller game than formerly, 

 and do not disdain to secure White Whales to help to fill up. 

 The demand for " porpoise " hide renders these creatures very 

 acceptable, as their skins fetch a good price in the market. 



Of late, however, quite a new feature has sprung up in the 

 Whale-fishery — I allude to the pursuit of the Bottle-nose Whale 

 (Hyperoodon rodratus). The whalers have long been in the habit 



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