102 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Luwreiice River, wIum-c it forms llie object of ;i suiiill l)ut lu'ofitable 

 iishci-y. 'l"'lie .stcaiii-whaloi's soineliiucs pursue and eai)lui"e it in j^'reat 

 miinbers in tlie Arctic, but only wlien the Greenland whale can not 

 be found, for the yield of oil is small and the animal is so swift and 

 active that it is not readily captured. The adult is from 10 to 15 feet 

 in length, and of a creamy whit e color. The blub])er is about w inches 

 thick, and each animal yields fi-om 20 to 100 lijillons of oil excellent in 

 lubricating^ (qualities. 



The orca alToi'ds a good vari(^ty of oil, but owing to its aggressive- 

 ness it is not often attacked by llie whalers. It has occasionally^ been 

 captured on the New England coast, and has also been taken on the 

 west coast of Africa, especially off Waliisch Bay. The blubber is 2 

 or o inches thick, and simila • in color and texture to that of the sperm 

 whale. 



The nai'whal yields a small (piantity of oil, Avhich is used consider- 

 ably by the Eskimos and Greenlanders. It is ordinarily verj'^ pale 

 in color, in fact almost colorless. The narwhal is not nsually an 

 object of pursuit bj' our whalemen, as its capture is surrounded with 

 many difficulties, owing to its retreats in the ice floes. The valuable 

 black-fish and pori:)oise oils are discussed in a sei)arate chapter. 



The following tabulated statement of the yield of oil from the sev- 

 eral sjiecies of cetaceans has been i)repared with much care after con- 

 sultation with the most experienced whalemen of various ports: 



Species. 



Right whale, Pacific .. 

 Right whale, Atlantic 



Bowhead 



Sperm whale 



Humpback, Pacific 



Humpliack, Atlantic. 



Fiiihack, Pacific 



Finl)ack. Atlantic 



CalifDi'iiia gray whale 



Bottli'-iiosc wlialo 



Orca or killer whale .. 

 Behiga oi- white whale 

 Blaclc-flsh 



The methods of cutting-in and removing the blubber have already 

 been described by numerous writers, and especially by James Temple 

 lirown," rendering unnecessaiy any extended desci'iption in this paper. 



Sulhce it to stale that the whale is attached to the side of the vessel, 

 and by cutting in a spiral line and at the same time rolling the 

 cetacean, the blul)ber is removed in a helical strip 5 or G feet wide, 

 and 1 his is boarded in lengths of 12 or 15 feet, called " blanket-pieces." 

 The manner of doing this and of boarding the head gear is germane 

 to nautical engineering rather than to the subject of oil-rendering. 



"Fishery Industries of the United States, Vol 2, Sec. 5, p. 278. 



