THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 67 
The business has been continued, with, perhaps, temporary intermissions, until the 
present time. Between 20 and 30 whales have often been taken in a season, and 
an average of 17 for the first 16 years. This station, as well as the other shore 
whaling stations along the coast, was reported as closed during the early part of 
1888, but was reopened in the fall, and up to March 9, 1889 (at which time the 
fishery was suspended), 14 whales had been taken, which yielded 440 barrels of oil, 
valued at $5,720. . . . 
“The season is from November to the middle of March, after which date the 
whales have generally left the coast on their annual migration north. The species 
taken here is usually the Gray whale ; the Humpback or ‘summer whale’ is rarely 
captured, and the same may be said of the Right whale. The best success is 
usually met with in the early part of the season, when the whales are going south, 
for in the late winter and spring, when returning, they keep farther off shore, and 
the prevalling northerly winds and rough sea often prevent their successful pursuit. 
Besides, as they are then in poor condition, there is not the same inducement to 
lumt them; <2 2.1: 
“ Alexander states that ‘December, January, and February are the months in 
which whales frequent this locality ; sometimes, however, a few are seen as late as 
the middle of March. These months are called the down-run season; the up- 
run is of short duration, which, as a rule, lasts from 4 to 6 weeks. Whales when 
migrating north are poor, but on their return south are invariably fat and contain 
about 50 per cent more oil than when on their northern passage.’ ”! 
[WHALES OFF THE COAST OF MONTEREY CO., CAL. | 
“ Whales are reported more numerous than they were a few years ago, but no 
attempt has been made to take them at Monterey Bay since 1881, and the shore 
whaling station at Carmel Bay was closed three years later.” * 
[WHALES OFF CAPE FLATTERY, WASHINGTON. | 
“ Whales, chiefly the small sharp-headed finner (Balenoptera davidsoni Scam- 
mon), are found off Cape Flattery and at the entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 
where the Indians improve every opportunity to capture them.” * 
[ WHALES OFF THE QUILLIHUTE R., WASHINGTON. | 
“These | Quillihute] Indians also engage in whaling during the summer; nine 
Finback whales were captured in 1888; these were cut up and smoked for food. 
The catch is wholly for home consumption and has no commercial importance.” 4 
[WHALES OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA, MARCH AND APRIL, 1890. | 
“ Whales were very common and were reported nearly every day, sometimes in 
large numbers, On one occasion we steamed slowly into a school that were so 
busily engaged in feeding that they paid little attention to us. Upon investiga- 
tion it was ascertained that they were devouring a small globular jellyfish, half an 
inch in diameter, which could be seen in immense masses from 3 to 5 fathoms 
*Couuins, J. W., Report on Fisheries of Pacific Coast. Rept. U. S. Fish. Com., 16, 1892, pp. 52- 
Gish iol, se * Op. cit., p. 58. * Op. cit., p. 245. * Op. cit., p. 243. 
