448 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



that some of the money being spent in futile 

 endeavors to reach the North Pole might much 

 better be devoted to chartering a whaler and 

 securing one or two examples of the Bowhead 

 before it is too late. 



The Right whale was the first to be commer 

 daily exterminated, that is so reduced in num- 

 bers that its pursuit was no longer profitable, 

 because it frequented the shores of temperate 

 regions and there brought forth its young. It 

 required but few years to wipe out the C'ali- 

 fornia Gray Whale as it was confined to a com- 

 parativelj' small area and the decimation of the 

 others is but a matter of time. 



The great Bowhead as we have just seen, is on 

 the verge of actual, not merely commercial, ex- 

 termination and is liable to be blotted out of 

 existence at any time and other species will fol- 

 low unless something is done to preserve them. 



For many years certain species of whales, 

 notably the Sulphur-bottom, enjoyed more or 

 less immunity from pursuit, due to the diffi- 

 culty of taking them by methods then in ^ogue 

 and the small profit yielded when they were 

 taken. But when the present appliances for 

 taking whales were perfected the death knell 

 of these whales was .sounded and unless some 

 measures are taken to protect them, they, too. 

 will suffer the fate of the Bowhead. 



Whaling stations are being established the 

 world over wherever the conditions are favor- 

 able ; there are several on the Pacific coast, sev- 

 eral on the coast of Patagonia, and while in 



deference to the fishermen, restrictions have 

 been placed on the Norwegian whale fisheries, 

 other stations have been opened in Iceland and 

 the Fteroes. There is some whaling from New 

 Zealand and South Africa, and concessions have 

 been granted for other parts of the world. This 

 does not include whaling for Sperm whales and 

 Humpback carried on from various Atlantic 

 and South American ports. Moreover the rapid 

 decline of the Newfoundland whale fishery has 

 led some of the companies to send their steamers 

 south in winter, accompanied by a large 

 steamer fitted out for cutting in whales and try- 

 ing out the oil, thus acting as a floating whaling 

 station that may be moved from place to place 

 as occasion require.s or favorable conditions 

 offer. 



We speak of the dcduic of the whaling in- 

 dustry when it is really the passing of the 

 whale, for there can be no industry in the 

 proper sense of the word when there is no 

 planting, only reaping, no attempt to jirovide 

 for the harvest to be gathered. 



Whales can he protected and protected very 

 easily but it can only be done by international 

 agreement. When we are far enough advanced, 

 many industries like whaling and sealing, now 

 on the verge of extermination, may be pursued 

 for all time. This may be very difficult to 

 bring about, but may be accomplished in time. 

 The pity of it is, from a purely practical stand- 

 point, that animals which can so readily be pre- 

 served, should be swept out of existence. 



