1898] THE MIGRATION OF THE RIGHT WHALE 407 



however, whether or not this function is performed at that season, 

 that the whales are found in the localities just indicated early in the 

 year, and they have doubtless wintered there. Off .Resolution Island 

 the ' Arctic,' in which Captain Markhani was a passenger, killed her 

 first whale on tlie 28rd of May 1873 ; but, owing to the unsettled 

 weather which usually prevails at this season, and to the dangerous 

 nature of the ice, this, whicli is known as the ' South-west Fishing,' 

 is not much frequented by the whalers. This is doubtless the 

 starting-place of the most southerly contingent of the migrating 

 army of whales in Davis Strait, and from this point the whalers, or 

 such of them as have been to the south-west fishing, take their de- 

 parture ft>r the north at the end of May, and as a rule see no more 

 of the whales till they reach the fishing-ground off Ponds Bay or 

 Lancaster Sound, On their journey north the immature whales 

 witli the females, Captain 1). Gray assures me, keep close along the 

 west side of the straits, finding breathing-room in the cracks and 

 lanes of water always found amongst the ice, and arrive at or near 

 Eclipse Sound about the loth of June. 



We will now proceed to the east side of Davis Strait, where a 

 totally different disposition of the ice, and consequent distribution of 

 the whales will be found. Fortunately, there exists a very remark- 

 able set of records in connection with a whale fishery established 

 here by the Danish Government, and these have been analysed 

 by Messrs Eschricht and Eeinhardt {op. cit.). These Stations or 

 ' Factories ' extend along tlie shore of West Greenland for a distance 

 of 200 Danish miles, from the 60th to the 73rd degree of north 

 latitude, in a direction almost due north, but only part of this extent 

 of coast is, or was, visited by the Eight Whale, the most southerly 

 station being Sukkertoppen, in latitude 65" 2o' N., and the most 

 nortlierly, XJpernavik, in 7 2° 48' N. At these factories the fishery was 

 prosecuted from the shore by means of boats, a look-out being kept. 

 When a whale was discovered, weather and ice permitting, the boats 

 pvrt off, and, if successful, towed the dead whale ashore, where it was 

 flensed. Accounts were kept and returns made to the Colonial 

 authorities at Copenhagen, not only of every whale killed but also 

 of those seen from the look-outs. These records extend from 1780 

 to about 1839, and from them it appears that the whales were seen 

 at Sukkertoppen in the months of December, January, and February, 

 when they entered the larger sounds and fjords in very unequal 

 numbers, in greater numbers the more severe the winter and the 

 more the sea was filled with floating ice. Bearing in mind that the 

 winter condition of the ice in the parallel of 65° on the east side of 

 the Strait would about correspond with that on the Labrador coast 

 five degrees farther south at the same time, and the fact of the 

 whales appearing in greater and less numbers in accordance with the 



