76 



THE GREENLAND WHALE. 



PLATE IL 



Balaena Mysticetus, Li7in. — Common Whale, Bonnaterre ; La- 

 cepede. — Greenland or right Whale of Scorsehy and the 

 Northern Fishers Balaena Borealis, Lesson. 



As we owe our knowledge of tliis valuable animal 

 principally to the investigations of Scorseby, it will 

 only be doing justice to this eminent navigator, as 

 well as conferring a favour upon our readers, to em- 

 body in our account an abstract of his excellent de- 

 scription (Arctic Reg. vol. i. 449 — 478). 



It is this interesting animal which is the object of 

 the important commerce to the Polar Seas ; it is pro- 

 ductive of more oil than any other of the Cetacea, 

 and being less active, slower in its motions, and 

 more timid than any other of the order of similar 

 magnitude, it is more easily captured. 



In former times there was much exaggeration 

 as to the size of this whale, eighty and one hun- 

 dred feet being assigned as a frequent size, and one 

 Inmdred and fifty and two hundred feet as not un- 

 common. Some of the ancient naturahsts stated 

 that it attained even a much greater length. From 

 the researches, however, of Scorseby, it seems irre- 



