SOURCES OF INFORMATION. 11 



To those who are in quest of definite 

 information concerning the various cruising 

 grounds, and the times of finding whales there, 

 the closing chapter of the Annals of the United 

 States' Exploring Squadron is the most satis- 

 factory of any thing to be found. It should be 

 printed in pamphlet form, and kept in the 

 chart-box of every whaler. Other interesting 

 matter, of a miscellaneous character, pertaining 

 to the southern whale fishery, is to be found in 

 the appendix to a work of J. E. Browne, called 

 "Etchings of a Whaling Cruise," and in a 

 volume entitled " Incidents of a Whaling Voy- 

 age," by F. A. Olmsted. As to the Northern, 

 or Greenland Whale Fishery, Scoresby's History, 

 in vol. ii. of his account of the Arctic regions, 

 stands alone. 



Without superseding or conflicting with any 

 of these instructive or entertaining books, the 

 course pursued in the present volume is an in- 

 dependent one, whereby it is aimed to finish 

 tin 1 complement of whaling literature, and 

 supply what was wanting, in order to put the 

 r< Deling public in possession of a full length 



