212 



THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 



Stnithers's elaborate monograph, published in 1889 (87) iu Sars's Fortsatte Bidrag, 

 1881 {80), where there is an excellent figure of the exterior, iu Cocks's accounts of 

 the Finmark fisheries (15-19), and in Van Beuedeu's works. 



For the Greenland species we have Fabricius's description (41, 36) and the 

 extended discussion iu Eschricht's Untersuchungen ueber uordischen Wallthiere, 

 1849 (37), and Van Beuedeu's comments on specimens distributed among various 

 European museums by Eschricht. 



Specimens from the Atlantic coasts of the United States and southward are 

 not common. There are two skeletons in the National Museum, one in the Phila- 

 delphia Academy of Sciences (type of M. hellicosa, incomplete), one at Niagara, N. 

 Y. (type of M. ospliyia), one in the Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wis. All these 

 I have seen and examined. I also examined three fresh specimens at the Snook's 

 Arm whaling station, Newfoundland, in 1899. 



SIZE. 



The most satisfactory data relating to the size of the European Humpback are 

 the measui'ements obtained by Cocks from the whales at the Finmark whaling stations 

 in 1885 and 1886 (17 and 18). These measurements are chiefly in Norwegian feet, 

 without inches, and are probably taken around the curves. They are more likely to 

 overstate than understate the actual length. To compare with these, the measure- 

 ments made by the whalers at Balena Station, Newfoimdland, in 1900 and 1901, 

 will be given. Iu addition, we have the measurements of various sjjecimens stranded 

 on the coasts of Europe and the United States at different times. 



During my stay at the Snook's Arm Station, Newfoundland, in 1899, three 

 Humpbacks were taken, having the following length from tip of snout to uotch of 

 flukes along the curve of the back : 



MEGAPTERA NODOSA (BONNATERRE). SNOOK'S ARM, NEWFOUNDLAND. 1899. 



The following specimens were taken at Balena Station, Newfoundland, in 1900 

 and 1901, and measured by the whalers. The measui'ement in each case is probably 

 a maximum, along the curve of the back. 



' Contained a male foetus 3 ft. 3I- in. long. 



Contained a male fcetus 3 ft. 9 in. long. 



