WHALING 249 



means large dividends to the owners and small ones to the 

 officers and crew of the ship. 



Several species of whales are found in the waters of the 

 northern ice-laden seas, but there is only one prize, known 

 amongst other common names as the Greenland whale, Right 

 whale and Bowhead whale, and scientifically called the Balaena 

 mysiiceius, L. From its mouth is obtained the precious whale- 

 bone. An average whale carries nearly a ton of this material, 

 which at present is worth about $15,000 a ton, with the price 

 rising from year to year. The principal uses of the whalebone 

 are to stiffen the bodices of the better-made gowns, and to weave 

 into expensive silk fabrics. The wealth of the world is increas- 

 ing and the supply of whales is decreasing ; no idea, therefore, 

 can be formed of the value of whalebone in the future, as no 

 good substitute has been discovered. An adult female whale 

 will furnish blubber sufficient for nearly thirty tons of oil, while 

 a male will supply about twenty tons; the value of oil also is 

 on the increase, and may be taken at about $100 per ton. Thus, 

 the total value of a large whale varies from $15,000 to $20,000, 

 but even at that the chase is becoming unprofitable, owing to 

 the few whales remaining, and to the frequent ' empty ' voyages 

 made of late years. 



The whaling ' grounds ' of the eastern side of Amemca are 

 situated in Davis strait and Baffin bay and in the northern 

 parts of Hudson bay. 



The memorable voyage of Baffin, in 1616, first showed the 

 value of the whale fishery of Davis strait, and as early as 1619 

 the first Dutch whaler was fishing in those waters. A few years 

 later they were joined by British whaling vessels, but their 

 operations were confined to the waters off the south coast of 

 Greenland for nearly two hundred years, until the voyages of 

 Ross and Parry disclosed the more valuable waters of Baffin bay 

 and of the western side of Davis strait. 

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