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lice by the whalers), and swimming pterepods known as ' whale- 

 food ' and ' blackberries.' These creatures in turn feed upon 

 minute animal organisms, known as diatoms, which are found 

 in countless numbers in these northern waters, where they are 

 so numerous as to discolour large areas of the sea, giving it a 

 light-green, or a brownish hue. The diatoms are known to be 

 propagated in the fresh-water pools upon the large pans of ice, 

 and it would appear that they thrive best in the comparatively 

 fresh surface-water in the vicinity of melting ice ; this may be 

 the chief reason for the whales frequenting such localities. 



The whales are known to enter Hudson strait early in the 

 spring ; they have been captured around Big island in April and 

 May, and at the western end of the strait in the latter part of 

 May. They then cross to the west side of the bay along the edge 

 of the open water, being found in June and early July along 

 the land-floe on both sides of the southern part of Roes Welcome. 

 As the Welcome clears of ice they proceed north to Repulse bay, 

 and, still later, pass through Frozen strait into Fox channel. 

 Late in the autumn they again pass through Hudson strait 

 going eastward. By far the greater number of whales taken 

 in Hudson bay have been killed in the vicinity of Whale point 

 near the southern entrance to the Welcome. 



Some whales are supposed to remain during the winter in 

 the waters of Hudson bay, as they have been reported by the 

 Eskimos as being seen in the depth of winter off Mansfield and 

 some of the more southern islands of the east side of the bay. 



The migration of the whales in Davis strait and Baffin bay is 

 fairly well known. In March they are found along the edge of 

 the land-floe of Cumberland gulf and Frobisher bay, where they 

 remain until the beginning of May, when they cross to the 

 Greenland coast, and in June are found on the ' middle ground ' 

 to the south of Disko. From there they follow the shore ice 

 north to Melville bay, and then cross along the southern edge 



