THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 65 



[wHAI.es off PLYMOUTH, MASS., 1885.] 



"Ml-. John F. Holnie.s, keeper of tlie Gurnet life-saving station [4| miles N. E. 

 of Plymouth, Mass.], writing under date of July 8, 1885, says that on July 5th 

 schools of vyhales and porpoises appealed neai- that station, and on July 7 quite a 

 large quantity of mackerel was taken." ' 



[whales on the grand banks, 1885.] 



" It is worthy of note that swoidfish and Finback whales were seen in unusual 

 abundance on July 13 [between Brown's Bank and N.E. extremity of George's 

 Bank]. During the fiist part of the day as many as 20 swordfish were seen in from 

 6 to 8 hours; frequently 2 or 3 were in sight at the same time. As many as 20 

 whales were seen at one time during the morning, and a still greater number were 

 seen during the afternoon. At station 2528 [lat. 41° 47' N. ; long. 65° 37' 30" W.l 

 they were veiy numerous, apparently feeding on small Crustacea, probably from 40 

 to 50 whales being in sight at one time. They weie all Finbacks, so far as I could 

 tell. Their movements were sluggish, as they ' played ' back and forth in the 

 tide rips, with their mouths open, the upper Jaw just at the surface, scoopinr-- in 

 ' feed.' They were joined by a school of porpoises (pi-obably Delphinus delphis), 

 which di-ove in among the whales, their movements indicating that thev wei-e 

 feedintr, but of this we could not be sure." ~ 



'&» 



[whale fishery in the gulf of MAINE, 1886.] 



"Thus fai' the ' kyacks ' have not been sufficiently abundant to wan-ant the 

 factory men in devoting their attention exclusively to this species ; but the business 

 is carried on profitably in connection with the shore-whaling for Finbacks, which 

 has become important. Last yeai- five small steamers were engaged in this shore- 

 whaling, the fleet landing part of the whales at Provincetown, Mass., and the 

 remainder at the factories in Maine. About seventy-five whales were captured by 

 this fleet last year, and the carcasses of some of them were boiled and made into 

 sci-ap, which sells when dried at $22 a ton, the only objection to it being the large 

 percentage of oil which it contains. That made to date averages about 25 per cent, 

 of oil." (Extract from a letter of Mr. R. Edward Earll to Prof. 8. F. Baird, dated 

 Gloucester, Mas.s., September 17, 1886.) ' 



In addition, the Bulletins contain translations of several important papers on 

 Noi-wegian whale fisheries, and an article by Mr. Chas. H. Townsend on the California 

 Gray whale, RhacManedes glaucus} This article specifies the number and location 

 of the whaling stations on the California coast, the number of whales taken, their 

 habits, food, etc., and is accompanied by four oi-iginal drawings of a foetal specimen 

 17 ft. long observed at St. Simeon Bay, Cal. 



The Reports of the Commission contain the following : 



'Smiley, Charles W. Bull. U. S. Fish Com., 5, 1885, p. 347. 



' Collins, J. W., Notes on an investigation of the Great Fishing Banks of the Western .\thunic. 

 Bull. U. S. Fish Com., 6, 1886, p. 381. 



^ Bull. U. S. Fish Com., 6, 1886, pp. 312-313. 



' Townsend, C. H., Present Condition of the California Gray-whale Fishery. Bull.U. S. Fish 

 Com., 6, 1886, pp. 346-350, pis. 6-7. 



