278 



THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 



" On the northern coast [of North America] the Finbacks, in many instances, 

 have a much larger fin than those in warmer latitudes, and I am fully satisfied that 

 these ai'e a distinct species, coniiiied to the northern waters. . . . Several [Fin- 

 backs] have been seen in May and June, on the coasts of California and Oregon, 

 and in Fuca Sti'ait in June and July of the present year [1868 Q ; these observations 

 satisfy me that the dorsal fin of this, the northern species refei'red to, is strikingly 

 larger than in the more southern Finbacks. 



"Appended is a sketch of one individual of several seen in Queen Charlotte 

 Sound in February, 1865, which is a fair representation of them all. Those I have 

 noticed about Fuca Strait seem to have the back fin modified in size between the 

 extremely small [one] found on [the coast of] Lower Califoi-nia and the one here 

 represented." 



The figures (Nos. 9 and 10) accompanying the article are quite crude, and, while 

 they represent a Finback whale fairly well, are unreliable for critical comparisons. 

 For example, in figure 9, which i-epresents the £. velifera of the coast of California, 

 the height of the dorsal fin is about 7 ^ of the total length. If this were coi-rect, it 

 would indicate a species with an enormous fin as compared with JS.phijsalus of the 

 North Atlantic, in which the height of the dorsal averages 2.3 ^of the total length. 



In fig. 10, which represents the northern form oiB. velifera, the dorsal is given 

 the increased proportion of about 8|- % of the total length. 



In these figures, furthermore, the shape of the pectoral fins, flukes, and " small " 

 (or caudal) peduncle is unnatural, judging from photographs taken from fresh 

 specimens of Atlantic Finbacks. 



We hear no more of these Pacific Finbacks until Scammon published his great 

 work on the Marine Mammals of the Noi'th western Coast, in 1874. In this the de- 

 scription of 1869 is lepeated with practically no alteration, but with the addition of 

 measurements of "a Balcenopiera which came on shore near the outer heads of the 

 Golden Gate" (82, 34). Unfortunately these measui-ements are of very little im- 

 portance, except that the total length — 60 feet — is given. Reduced to percentages 

 of the total length, Scammon's measurements, compared with the averages for 

 Newfoundland specimens of B. physalus, are as follows ' : 



BALJEyOPTEBA PHYSALUS (L.) AND B. VELIFERA COPE. 



' Dr. L. Stejneger's measurements of a Finback found on Bering Id. are also included here for 

 convenience. Further reference to them will be made later. 



