418 Mr. T. Soutliwcll— 5ome Results of the 



]uini{)l)ack followed bj two calves each 10 Norwegian feet 

 long, but he does not give the date, and Scammon gives 

 a beautiful ])late of a humpback suckling two calves ; the 

 birth of twins, therefore, in tiiis species seems to be of 

 occasional occurrence. Far more males than females of this 

 species are killed ; of 37 taken in 1886 28 were males. The 

 average length of 27 males was 38 ft. 5 in., and of 13 females 

 42 ft. 3 in. The largest specimen Mr. Cocks records was a 

 male 53 Norwegian feet (55 ft. 3 in., English) long; he 

 mentions the girth of a female 52 English feet long as 40 feet, 

 but this measurement in a dead whale is absolutely valueless, 

 as distension commences immediately after death. The total 

 number killed in six years was 317, and the largest number 

 in a single year 96. 



Shetland. 



Of the results of the Shetland fishery I have very little 

 information, and no particulars as to species or measurements 

 before 1904 ; in that season eight humpbacks were taken by 

 the Shetland boats and five from Harris in the Hebrides. 

 The Shetland vessels, Mr. Haldane informs me, fish in about 

 G0° to 62° N. lat. and 0° to 5° W. long.; the Faroe boats 

 work to the southward and the Siietland vessels as far 

 as 120 miles north of those islands. Of the Shetland hump- 

 backs four females measured 30, 39, 40, and 46 feet respec- 

 tively, three males 47, 49, and 46 feet ; the last male had 

 pectoral fins 13 ft. 10 in. long. The colours varied as already 

 described. The food of those which Mr. Haldane examined 

 consisted of kril and a ie\\ shrimps ; herring also form 

 part of their diet. The average yield of oil was 1200 to 

 1600 gallons. 



Newfoundland. 



In the Newfoundland fishery this species figures largely : 

 in the season of 1893 287 were killed, and 281 in 1904 ; 

 unfortunately no statistics as to sex or dimensions have been 

 collected at these stations — desiderata which, I hope, will, at 

 least to some extent, be supplied in the present season, — and 

 therefore nothing can be added to the investigations made 

 by Dr. True. That gentleman only had the opportunity of 

 personally examining three specimens at Snook's Arm in 

 August 1899, but of these he gives minute descriptions : he 

 also gives the dimensions supplied to him of 18 others killed 

 in the two following years between April 26fch and July 6th, 



