50 THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 
Danish Scientific Society’s Afhandlinger and Skrifter, 1845-1849.’ Being in the 
Danish language, they are a sealed book to many zodlogists, who either lack the 
opportunity, or have not the inclination, to acquire that tongue. For this reason 
they were not appreciated by Eschricht’s contemporaries as they might have been. 
Feeling this himself, he undertook to republish the series in German with many 
changes and additions, but the German edition was never completed. More will be 
said of it later. The essays themselves were preceded by several short papers, begin- 
ning in 1840, in which the scope and objects of the investigations were described. 
The essays may be summarized as follows: 
Essay 1.—LRemarks on the earlier and present phases of cetology. 
In this essay Eschricht treats chiefly of the history of different departments of 
cetology, beginning with the De/phinide, The genus Hyperoddon is briefly consid- 
ered, and afterwards he treats of the sperm whale in much detail. Next follow 
the baleen whales, of which there are stated to be two groups—Right whales and 
Finbacks. Regarding the former, Eschricht remarks: “Since Cuvier’s time two 
kinds are usually distinguished, the northern Balana mysticetus, and the southern, 
B. australis.” At this date Eschricht seems not to have discovered that the Nord- 
caper was distinct from 4. mysticetus or even from the Humpback. 
He next takes up the question of geographical distribution, notes the reduction 
in numbers of whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, but combats the theory that the 
distribution area shrinks at any time. He refers to the distribution of the Right 
whale in the South Atlantic, and quotes Holb6ll as to the migrations of the 
Greenland whale on the west coast of Greenland. He mentions Dudley and gives 
the seasons for the whale fishery and other details. 
Next come the Finbacks, including under that head the Humpbacks. He 
describes their distribution; mentions Sibbald, the anonymous writer in the P/z/. 
Trans., ete.; cites their use as a food resource by Greenlanders and Norwegians, 
and their relative value for oil, ete. He describes the early modes of fishing for 
large whales in Norway and elsewhere ; quotes Fabricius’s account of the Humpback 
fishery in Greenland and also that of Holbéll; states that the Greenlanders cared 
little for the Finbacks, but that Humpbacks have been taken regularly at Greenland 
and also at Bermuda. He then takes up the question as to whether the Basque 
fishery of the sixteenth and seventeenth century may not have been for Finbacks, 
*z. Bemerkninger over Cetologiens tidligere og neerveerende Skjebne. Dansk. Videns. Selsk. 
natur. og math. Afhandl., 1, 1845, pp. 129-202. 
2. Anatomisk Beskrivelse af de ydre Fosterformer hos to nordiske Finhval-Arter, med Anven- 
delse paa Physiologien og Zoologien. Do., pp. 203-279. 
3. Om Fosterformerne i Bardehvalernes Ernaerings- og Forplantelsesredskaber. Do., pp. 
281-320, pls. 1-4. 
4. Om Nebhvalen. Do., pp. 321-378, pls. 5-8. 
5. Finhvalernes Osteologie og Artsadskillelse. Do., 12, 1846, pp. 225-396, pls. 9-16. 
6. Udbytte paa en Reise gjennem det nordvestlige Europa i Sommeren 1846, som Tilleg til 
de foregaaende Afhandlinger. Dansk. Videns. Selsk. Skrifter, 5te Raekke, natur. og math. Afd., \, 
1849, pp. 85-138. 
