North- Atlantic Fin-Whale Fisheri/. 421 



aware, these are tlie only instances of twins in this species 

 on record. 



In 34 instances where the sex is given, 17 were males and 

 17 females : the former averaged 45 ft. 4 in. and the latter 

 46 ft. 7 in. in lengtii ; the longest male was 51 ft. 1 in., and 

 tlie longest female 52 ft. 1 in. The measurements are 

 variously given in Norwegian and English feet; I have 

 reduced the former to English measurement on the scale of 

 12| inclies to the Norwegian foot. 



The yield of oil averages about 200 gallons, rarely as 

 much as 280 gallons. Tlie food of this species is believed to 

 consist very largely of " kril " [Thysanopoda inermis), a 

 small crustacean, and Calanus jinmarchicus (a copepod). 



Professor Collett visited the factory at Vardo in 1885, and 

 contributed an excellent paper on the " external characters" 

 of this species, of which he stated that even then our know- 

 ledge was very deficient, to the P. Z. S. 1886, pp. 243-265, 

 with illustrations. 



The baleen is black, with white bristles, and the longest 

 plate measures 31 inches. 



Of 2266 fin-whales killed in Norway in the years 1886, 

 1887, and 1889 (omitting the abnormal kill of 771 in 1885), 

 420, or 18*5 per cent., were Kudolphi^'s rorquals. 



Shetland. 



Of 507 fin- whales killed from Shetland and the Hebrides 

 in 1904 only 9 were of this species, and I have no particulars 

 as to sex or measurements further than thab two were bulls 

 37 and 41 feet long respectively. 



Newfoundland. 



None of these whales came under the notice of Dr. True 

 when he visited the BalsBua Station at Hermitage Bay, nor 

 do any appear to have been killed till 1904, when 5 were 

 obtained from Balaena, 30 from Bay Chaleur, and 3 from 

 Hose au Rue ; there therefore exists no material for comparison 

 of specimens from the three fishing-centres. 



The lesser rorqual {B. rostrata) does not figure in the 

 returns from any of the above " fisheries.''* 



