MIGEATIONS OF WHALES KELLOGG 489 



Finbacks were observed by Morch (1911, p. 667) off South Shetland 

 in February and March. Risting's tables (1928, pp. 22-23) show that 

 finbacks are taken off South Shetlands from November until May. 

 The largest numbers are taken during January, February, and March. 

 In 1921 the Norwegian companies alone took 862 in January, 964 in 

 February, and 399 in March. The records show that 361 were taken 

 in April, 1925. According to Liouville (1913, pp. 4, 44-45) 

 finbacks were first seen on December 31, 1909, in Bransfield Strait, 

 and on January 24 others were observed off the southern end of Ade- 

 laide Island. From January 16 to 18, 1909, finbacks were reported 

 as far west as 108° 07' west longitude and 69° 15' south latitude. 

 Great numbers of finners were seen on December 16, 1892, at 51° 01' 

 west longitude and 59° 24' south latitude by Bruce, while on board 

 the Balaena and during this vessel's stay in the vicinity of the Erebus 

 and Terror Gulf, Graham Land, finners were seen from January 4 

 to February 7, 1893. (Bruce, 1893, pp. 493-494.) Numbers of fin- 

 backs have been reported to occur in the vicinity of South Georgia 

 during the Antarctic winter, but numerically they are far below the 

 normal summer abundance on these feeding grounds. These observa- 

 tions tend to substantiate migration at more or less regular intervals 

 to other fields. (Risting, 1928, p. 20.) 



For some inexplicable reason the finbacks appear to approach the 

 Avestern coast of South Africa from the north, and they are to be 

 found moving southward off Saldanha Bay from March to June, al- 

 though they are present in lesser numbers all the year round. (Hin- 

 ton, 1925, p. 192.) As with the blue whales, finbacks are taken off 

 Saldanha Bay on the west coast of Africa as early as April, but the 

 whaling statistics indicate that they are most numerou,s in May, June, 

 and July. Curiously enough the statistics for Walfisch Bay and for 

 the Angola coast indicate that the bulk of the finbacks do not go as 

 far north as the blue whales, for comparatively few individuals are 

 taken at these stations. Judging from the catch during the seasons 

 1919 to 1925, finbacks are least abundant off Saldanha Bay in August 

 and from then on increase in numbers until about the middle of 

 November. (Risting, 1928, pp. 23-26.) On the east coast of Africa 

 finbacks are said to be scarce, and yet in the years 1923 to 1927 more 

 than one-fourth of all the whales caught off Natal were finbacks. 



Finbacks are known to occur off the coasts of Peru and Ecuador, 

 but there is little detailed information in regard to their seasonal 

 abundance along the western coast of South America. 



Oliver (1922, p. 562) states that finbacks are occasionally cast 

 ashore on the New Zealand coast and mentions one stranded at Port 

 Underwood on June 10, 1874. A list of the reported occurrences of 

 whales, mostly unidentified as to species, for the Ross and Victoria 

 quadrants of the Antarctic seas are tabulated by Racovitza (1903, 



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