North- Atlayitic Fin- Whale Fishery. 413 



of tlie variations observed in tliese animals, and it is con- 

 venient to do so with regard to the present species, which is 

 far the best known and with regard to wliich there is so much 

 more material on which to base conclusions. Dr. True 

 minutely examined ten freshly killed specimens in New- 

 foundland and compared them with Sars^s careful description 

 of a Norwegian individual, the whole showing conspicuously 

 the great individual variations to wliich the species is subject 

 so far as the intensity and distribution of the body-colours 

 are concerned, the constant features being a dark left lower 

 lip, white right lower li|i, white anterior right whalebone, 

 and the marked asymmetry of coloration. Where individuals 

 difFrir so materially it would be unsafe to generalize on the 

 mere shade or disposal of colour; Dr. True, however, instituted 

 a very careful comparison of the measurements of the East 

 and West Atlantic fin-whales, and found that the former were 

 larger in all their proportions than the latter, which is con- 

 firmed by the foregoing table so far as length is concerned. He 

 does not from this fact conclude that there exists even sub- 

 specific differences between those inhabiting the two sides of 

 the Atlantic ; but I think it clearly demonstrates that the herds 

 frequenting the two distant areas do not intermingle, their 

 normal line of migration being south to north in summer, 

 rarely, if ever, under normal conditions latitudinal, and that 

 they may be considered racially distinct. Perhaps we may 

 go even farther than that, and regard the gigantic "bastard'' 

 whale of Mr. Cocks, which has been known to reach the 

 enormous length of 80 ^\. 6 in,, as at least a distinct race; and 

 ])robably the same may be said of the southern form of 

 B. musculus, the " sildehval " of the Norwegians, which goes 

 north in summer to occupy the area in the ocean already 

 vacated by the " loddelival/' which has then departed to a 

 more northerly latitude. That the species may be cosmo- 

 politan cannot at present be conclusively disproved, but, as 

 Dr. True very pertinently remarks, " even should it be 

 demonstrated that the species of large whalebone whales are 

 cosmopolitan, it does not follow that the individuals consti- 

 tuting these several species range throughout the globe, the 

 probabilities are much against such world-wide movements.'' 

 >So long ago as the year 18i>8 * I endeavoured to show with 

 regard to the Polar right whale that the areas frequented by 

 separate races or herds of those animals were vastly more 

 restricted than was generally supposeJ ; and I think ex])e- 



* " On the iMiuratioii of the iii^ht "Whale," Natural Science, Jiuie 

 18D8, pp. 397-411. 



