408 Mr. T. Soutliwell— ;So»?e Results of (lie 



uiitler tlie circumstances. The quantity of oil yielded by one 

 of these animals varies from 800 to 1400 gallons, but 

 averages somewhat over 1000 gallons. 65*64 per cent, of 

 the wliales killed in Finmarken, according to Mr. Cocks's 

 statistics, were of this species. The average length of a large 

 number of males was 62 ft. 5 in., and of females ^^ ft. 1 in., 

 the proportions o£ the sexes being about equal. The food 

 consists of herrings, capelan {MaVotus m-cticus), and various 

 crustaceans (copepods), according to season. 



The Shetland Area. 



The gradual decrease in the number of the whales and 

 certain restrictions imposed by the Norwegian government 

 led Capt. Foyn to establish a station in Iceland about the 

 year 1883; but here, again, he met with difficulties from the 

 "Danish government, and the enterprise was abandoned before 

 operations had commenced, but eventually they were success- 

 fully renewed and spread to the Faroes as well. In 1893 there 

 were said to be thirty steamers fishing from Iceland and 

 seven from the Faroes, and in 1902 nearly 2500 whales were 

 killed by them. In 1903 two stations were opened at Ronas 

 Voe, a third at Colla Firth in 1904, and subsequently a 

 fourth at Olna Firth, all on the mainland of Shetland. In 

 the Hebrides a station was also established at Bunaveneader 

 in North Harris. It is to the results of the operations in this 

 more southerly group of stations that we will now refer. 



Mr. E. 0. Haldane, of Lochend, Ollaberry, Shetland, has 

 most kindly allowed me to avail myself of his valuable notes 

 on the fishery from Shetland, which has been carried on in 

 his immediate neighbourhood, and as the result of his 

 enquiries informs me that the Iceland fishery was at first 

 purtued on the west coast in Ise Fjord^ Brede Fjord, &c., 

 and gradually spread further west, most whales being taken 

 along the Greenland ice in July and August ; latterly the 

 east coast has been resorted to. The present areas of the 

 fishery are, I am informed, as follows : — 



Iceland . . . 63°-67° N. lat., 10°-30° W. long. 

 Faroe . . . 61 "-64° „ £.°-9° 

 Shetland . . C0°-62° „ 0°-5° 



Before entering upon the comparison of the statistics from 

 this area of the species under consideration (i. e. B. musculuK) , 

 it may be well to mention that a very unlooked-for feature in 

 the fishery has been the occurrence of a number of sperm- 



