THE SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE 49 



Familjj Balacnidae. 



Teeth never developed, but the pahite with plates of baleen, or 

 whalebone. Skull symmetrical. 



The whalebone whales form the most important gronp, and 

 include the right whale, the hump-back, the fin-back, or rorqual, 

 and other species less notable. Their teeth are never developed. 

 The family derives its name from baleen, or whalebone, attached 

 to the upper jaw or palate. It acts as a sieve to strain off the 

 water taken into the mouth when the whale is feeding on the 

 small fry of the ocean. Sir W. H. Flower states that the immense 

 mouth is filled with water containing shoals of the small creatures, 

 and, on the whale closing its jaws and raising its tongue so as to 

 diminish the cavity of the mouth, the water streams out through 

 the narrow intervals between the hairy fringe of the whalebone 

 plates, and escapes through the lips, leaving the living prey to be 

 swallowed. Each plate of baleen, of the northern right whale, 

 w^eighs about seven pounds. From a large whale there may be 

 obtained about a ton and three-quarters. Before being used, the 

 whalebone is made soft and pliable by being immersed in boiling 

 water for about twelve hours. 



Key to file Genera. 



1. Throat smooth, baleen lon;^. ' 2 

 Throat plaited, baleen short. 3 



2. No dorsal flu, baleen black. Balfena. 



A dorsal fin, baleen yellow with a black edge. Neobalsena. 



3. Pectoral fin long. Megaptera. 

 Pectoral fin short. Baleenoptera- 



Genus Balaena. 

 Head about two-sevenths of the total length. Skin of throat 

 smooth. No dorsal tin. Mouth much arched. Length of the 

 baleen six or seven times the breadth at the base. 



The Southern Right Whale. — Tohora. 



Balaena australis. 



Entirely black. Length up to 70 feet ; that of the baleen, six feet. 



The southern right whale was once very abundant, the Tasman 



Sea and the Pacific Ocean between the Chatham Islands and 



Norfolk Island being the chief cruising grounds for whalers. 



The females visited the shallow bays to calve in May, June, and 



