28o 



NATURE 



[December 28, 191 1 





JlEKl. 



r«Ttiii 



.;! -.iij, I .; , I" .lii \\ liii :i . )■ 



>. i,;ii l^iiu iiiin-.is> li will; 



, ■ ;hr uli;il.s. 



1 im|>orI;iiil 

 |.i,!r, 111 Ml. I ^ 1:1/1.. M 111 u, • ' ', imlil :i 



vlunt time ;i);n ilin..--! ilii' ■ ■" ili'ir 



'■■•-'- "•■;.• (It .lu n til ill 1 I In ■ . , ,..' ii u Im 



(i till 111. .\l III ~,| lilt- |iiirsuit iiHunicl ^I'al 



1! i;.,i (l^lii|'. ami ill'- ciiiiMs (II tii|)ii(| >.i-\iial 



\.,.! , liiii iluii , nlinii^i .III iniini^>itiilii\ Inr 



.1 ;:. .. (ilil.iiii III >i-li.iii(i kiiiiw lid^if III lliiir 



ll.liiils. 



I'.ii! th.' ih.iiih III arriir.i!i- iiiliuni.il ii m cMrndid 



: '11 ill' 11 h.ilill--, lull III iliiir |ili\ -^icil cliar- 



I mil .il.iiiil 1\\ <nl\ -I'lV !■ vi.iis .11^11, llnTi' Ufii' 



•1 A u.itiii .ili^U wliii li.i'l .111 ii|i|iiii limil\ iif sciiiu;. in 



th'' tli'^li. nmii' tli.iii a li.ilt-dn/cn m ^n uli.ili-, liuiiiiL; 



!' -Ml,- lili . 111.- 



iNuallv I M . I-' - 

 \\ iiu ;i 11, III 111 I 11 iM^I iijHui 

 the 111 .nil. \lmii-~l iiu.iii- 

 alih thi-r >ti.i\ i\.un|ili> 

 had lici 11 diid li 'I da\ n 

 |)i-fiiir ihi'V Win- \\.|.-li.(l 

 a-liiiii-, I'l r.inii- undii' tlii' 

 iidlifi- n! .1 (r.iiiiid M'iiii- 

 til'ii' (ilisii\ I r, ,iiui had lost 

 iiuudi ol llnir luiL^iiia! pni- 

 portions and c.liiur. .\ 

 whale's budx l)ii;in> hi 

 !.;tn(ratt' gases at an 

 astnundiiif* rate as soon as 

 the animal is dead, and 

 witiiin a \irv tew hnuts is 

 i.u sudllrn and di--loili d 

 tii.it till- tiiii- iirii|iiiiiii)ns 

 air .ilmiisi Ills!. IC\in 

 naturali-iv did imi al\\.i\s 

 takr ihi- I.u 1 iniii ciui- 

 sidi'iatinn and ihcii' di >-rii|i- 

 I i' :!- .ind I'l^uri-^ a r r 

 I 'ait tly fur tlu'ir in- 



nl\ within a Vi i \ 



- lh.it tlu' ra|)idii\ 

 \>> i I h w hirh cri.iri- in.- 

 cliaiiL;!' colour whrn killrd 

 h.i-. Imi II i;inir.ill\ rico^- 

 ni-cd, .md ii i> a nio-<i 

 u-u.d ihin;^- to find whales ' "" '' 



di'MTihid in sciciuitir pajHTs 



a^ "hlatk"' which arc luvcr black in life. By far the 

 j.;riattr nuiiih.r ol whaks ;ind dolphins have various 

 shades ol >lale ur grey on the u|ii)ir-])arts, and if 

 exposed to the sun for a few hours these portions 

 III! 11 1. t-hlack. Again, there is. in all cetaceans, 



i.ition in colour .iiul form among individuals 

 ~ line sjiecies. and whales from the same school 

 or "pod," may diller widely in proportions and general 

 colour. Some m.iy he loiii; and slendex, others short 

 ancl thick; one may have a lii^ht j.^rey hack and pure 

 white under-parls, while a second, tak.n from the 

 same herd, is dark slate above .md stronj^lv shaded 

 helow. Ouite naturally wIkmi these extreiiies came 

 under the notice of a man of science, who h.id, per- 

 K-ips, Seen but three or four whales in his entire 

 life, they were at once judg-ed to be representatives 

 of different species and j^iven new names. This 

 course^ can scarcely be condemned, for, under existing 

 conditions, it was almost the onlv one to be followed ; 

 but, although it did put on record many valuable 

 NO. 2200, VOL. 88] 



fart"* concerning the history ol 



■ ill nuiltifilying names to -ucn an e\i< m in;ii 

 of l.iier investigators in separating the valid 



.,,,: .■ . . - V: . , .-- . . ••■■:'.;,„ task; 



the dis- 



- >-. ,1.11. - V, I.,. M ...,i\ a vavt 

 ludv can rectify. 

 .1 -.n ill.. Mil..! ,11 ,ri,,fi concern- 

 species, 

 nd right 

 irth .\t1antic 



,1-lies, of less 



(pn!. 



I r i b U I 1 1 1 : I I ' 



amount • nid 



|-"or in.ii:. '■• 



in^ the Lir^:. 



\ i/.. the spi : 



wh.ile, .md ii- -m.ili 

 rii'hi V, li.ili , or ■ N'l .1 ' 

 ;.d v.ilu. 



In ill. .Swend l""oyn, a Nor- 



wi;^;an. mn-gun, which was 



mounted on ilie bow uf a .Mnall steamer and fired an 

 iron h.ir|iotin liivin^ .in explosive head, or point, calb-d 



the •• liomb."' 



With the further di Aelopnient of the harjXM 



-1 M.iu ;: i; . lit a ri:;;ie; ii iKi.e. japan. 



new and great industry !j;rew u; . ' 



the capture of w h.des knov 

 I "finners" in sufficient number to w.iir.iii -p.e ereciioni 

 j of stations at certain points on the -bore, near th< 

 feeding-grounds of these anim.i.'- • ' ■ ' ■ -tkl 

 brought in, and the huge carca com-< 



' mercial products. Instead of >.iv...^ ...... ^^ - :1 an( 



b.ileen (the " w h.debone " of commerce") as was th< 



I case with the sperm and bowhead whales, which were 



j usually killed f.ir out at sea, it .Has possible also t< 



' utilise the t1esh, bones, blood, &c. Previously thesi 



whales had been little troubled by the men who huntet 



in a small boat, and with a hand-harpoon and lance| 



for the great speed of the animals in the water an< 



; their tendency to sink when killed caused them tc 



I be let alone by the early whalers ; moreover, theil 



j blubber was >o thin and the baleen so short an( 



coarse, that, if these parts alone were utilised. th« 



', animals were not worth the trouble of killing. 



In a very few years after the harpoon-gun was 



