CETACEA. 11 



of the Erebus and Terror) represent the three different kinds 

 in the same position, and on the same scale, being one-fourteenth 

 of the natural length and breadth. The fibres on the edge in 

 the Greenland and Margined Whales are very fine, flexible and 

 long, forming only a thin series; in the South Sea they are 

 rather coarser ; but in the North-west Coast much thicker and 

 coarser; quite bristly, and much more so towards the apex; 

 and they are more erect and form a thicker series, approaching 

 in that character to the baleen oftliefinners. 



The following are the measurements of the samples of the 

 different kinds of " Whale-fin " in the British Museum : 



Greenland. North-western. Southern. 



in. lin. in. lin. in. lin. 



Length of blade, entire... 144 112 90 



Width at base 11 10 90 



at middle 60 40 36 



at f length 24 2 .0 



of hair at end...... 10 70 70 



Thickness at base 44 45 3 



at middle 44 4 2| 



at f length ... 2 3^ 02 



The Greenland fin has the hair on its edge generally stripped 

 off, and is clean and bright when it is brought to England ; but 

 this may be from the care the North Sea whalers take in col- 

 lecting and cleaning it (as described *by Scoresby* Arctic Re- 

 fions, i. 418), arid the blades are brought home in bundles about 

 00- weight each. On the other hand, the North-west Coast 

 "fin " and the South Sea "fin " have the hair left on the edges ; 

 they are brought home in bulk, and are always covered with an 

 ashy-white soft laminar coat, looking like the rotted external 

 layers of the enamel. This coat has to be scraped off with large 

 knives before it is used or prepared, and the surface after the 

 scraping is not so polished and resplendent as that of the Green- 

 land "fins." 



The whalebone is boiled for about twelve hours, to render it 

 soft before it is divided into strips it then divides very easily. 

 The smaller pieces, when softened, are split by a small machine 

 into very narrow strips like bristles, and used for bristles to make 

 brooms, &c. &c. 



For every economical purpose, the Greenland " fins " are pre- 

 ferred, and last much longer, even when divided into the false 

 bristles ; and the Greenland fin will alone do for the finer work, 

 such as the strips for plaiting for bonnets, or to make ladies' 

 riding- whips, or the covering of telescopes and other tubes ; the 

 white strips for these purposes being taken from pale longitudinal 

 lines on the enamel of the Greenland fins. 



