THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 5) 
method was used. The difference is, I believe, immaterial where an average is 
drawn from a considerable number of specimens. It must be admitted that there 
is some uncertainty as to how to interpret the measurements of various observers, 
and I am fully conscious that the tables are not mathematically correct. Still, I 
am convinced that their inaccuracy is not such as to materially vitiate the result. 
The literature of cetology is in every language of western Europe, and the dimen- 
sions of specimens are similarly recorded in every variety of measure, such as 
Rheinland feet, old French feet, Spanish feet, Danish feet, Russian feet, and so 
forth. To avoid the great loss of time in converting all these measures to one 
system, I have reduced the dimensions in each instance to percentages of the total 
length. This has many advantages besides avoiding laborious calculations, which 
will be readily recognized. Where it has been necessary to cite actual measure- 
ments, I have reduced them all to English feet and inches, in the belief that for 
large dimensions this is preferable to employing the metric system. In the United 
States, at least, metric tapes for measurements up to 80 meters are not readily 
obtainable. All quoted matter is translated into English. 
No attention has been paid to the Greenland Right whale, or Bowhead, Balena 
mysticetus, in this connection, as no new material of value was available. The 
omission of this species is not especially important on account of the elaborate 
researches of Eschricht and Reinhardt, with which every cetologist is familiar. 
