50 THE ANIMALS OF NEW ZEALAND 



July, and were joined there by the males in August or September, 

 and all went to sea together. 



In the early days of New Zealand, whales frequented these 

 waters in very large numbers, and an extensive whaling industry 

 was carried on. At one time, about 300 vessels, chiefly from 

 America, visited the colony ever\^ year. The industry began 

 about 1795, reached the height of its prosperity between 1830 and 

 1840, and then dwindled away. In 1835, 116 vessels called in at 

 the Bay of Islands alone, and many stations were established 

 along the coast of the mainland, and at Kapiti and Stewart 

 Islands; but whales seldom visit New Zealand waters now, and 

 the industry has almost disappeared with them. 



Southern Eight Whale. 



Between 1830 and 1840, the Island of Kapiti, and the other 

 small islands in the vicinity, were largely patronised bj^ whalers. 

 Dr. Dieffenbach states that, in 1839, the produce of the establish- 

 ments on these islands was 466 tuns of oil, and 30 tuns of 

 whalebone, obtained by twenty-three boats. 



Professor Beddard, in his work entitled A Book of Whales, 

 published in 1903, says that a very singular feature of Balajna is 

 the horny, irregular mass growing on the snout, called the 

 ''bonnet." The irregular shape and pitted appearance of the 

 bonnet, he says, gives the impression that it is a pathological 

 structure, a kind of corn, perhaps produced by the animal 

 rubbing itself against rocks, as this species has been observed 

 to do in order to get rid of the barnacles which are apt to infest 

 it. Captain Scammon states that towards the end of the season 

 these whales congregate in herds, which are technically known 

 as "gams." The right whale is a slow^ swimmer, making not more 



