52 THE ANIMALS OF NEW ZEALAND 



The Blue Whale. 



Balaeiioptera sihhaldi. 



Dark bluish grey, witli small whitisla spots on the breast. Flippers 

 about one-seventh of the total length. Baleen black. Total length, 

 up to 87 feet; of the baleen, 2 feet; breadth at the base, li/o feet. 



Professor Beddard states that this whale, which was named 

 in honour of Sir R. Sibbald, may be distinguished from others 

 by its superior size, and by various other characters. The 

 whalers know it by its largeness, and by the height to which it 

 spouts ; and its speed, he adds, is sometimas great, as it can 

 accomplish about twelve miles an hour when at its best. 



The largest specimen recorded up to the present time (1908) 

 was stranded on the beach at Okarito, on the West Coast of the 

 South Island, in the middle of this year. It was 87 feet long and 

 16 feet high. It was purchased by Mr. Edgar F. Stead, of 

 Christchurch, and Mr. R. Turnbull, of Wellington, and the 

 skeleton was sold by them to the authorities of Canterbury 

 Museum, Christchurch, for £500, of which £200 was subscribed 

 by the public of Canterbury, and Messrs. Stead and Turnbull 

 contributed £50 each to the funds. 



The Fin-back or Rorqual. — Ratahuihui. 



BaUu uoptera musculus. 



Grej'ish slate-colour above, and white below. Baleen slate-colour, 

 vsreigated with yellow or brown. Length of the animal 65 to 70 feet. 



The fin-back is widely distributed, being found even in tropical 

 regions. It is very active, and does not yield much blubber. Its 

 principal food is fish. When struck by a harpoon, it displays 

 greater fierceness and boldness in its movements, it is stated, than 

 do other species of whales. It has been known to turn suddenly 

 against the whaling boats and dash them to pieces by strokes of 

 its tail. It is said that more than 5000 plates of baleen, or whale- 

 bone, are contained in the mouth of the rorqual : but the plates 

 are too short and too coarse to be valuable. It is estimated that 

 the blubber is only about six or eight inches in thickness as a 

 rule, and that only ten or fifteen tons of oil can be obtained from 

 an average specimen. Its ordinary rate of speed is about five 

 miles an hour. 



