whaling 249 
means large dividends to the owners and small ones to the 
officers and crew of the ship. 
Several species of whales are found in the waters of the 
nOrthern ice-laden seas, but there is only one prize, known 
amongst other common names as the Greenland whale, right 
whale and Bowhead whale, and scientifically called the Balaena 
mysticetus, L. From its mouth is obtained the precious whale- 
bone. An average whale carries nearly a ton of this material, 
which at present is worth about $15,000 a ton, with the price 
rising from year to year. The principal uses of the whalebone 
are to stiffen the bodices of the better-made gowns, and to weave 
into expensive silk fabrics. The wealth of the world is increas- 
ing and the supply of whales is decreasing; no idea, therefore, 
can be formed of the value of Whalebone in the future, as no 
good substitute has been discovered. An adult female whale 
will furnish blubber sufficient for nearly thirty tons of oil, while 
a male will supply about twenty tons; the value of oil also is 
on the increase, and may be taken at about $100 per ton. Thus, 
the total value of a large whale varies from $15,000 to $20,000, 
but even at that the chase is becoming unprofitable, owing to 
the few whales remaining, and to the frequent ' empty ' voyages 
made of late years. 
The whaling ' grounds ' of the eastern side of America are 
situated in Davis strait and Baffin bay and in the northern 
parts of Hudson bay. 
The memorable voyage of Baffin, in 1616, first showed the 
value of the whale fishery of Davis strait, and as early as 1619 
the first Dutch whaler was fishing in those waters. A few years 
later they were joined by British whaling vessels, but their 
operations were confined to the waters off the south coast of 
Greenland for nearly two hundred years, until the voyages of 
Ross and Parry disclosed the more valuable waters of Baffin bay 
and of the western side of Davis 22 
