64 THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 



[WHALES AT GLOUCESTER, MASS., 1880.] 



" Whales have recently been numerous iu this vicinity, and shore boats report 

 many of them swimming about. Four dead ones have been towed into this harbor ; 

 the largest was 65 feet long. [Gloucester, Mass., May 13, 1880.] ' M 



[WHALES ON THE NEW ENGLAND COAST, 1886.] 



" Whales have been numerous off the New England coast. [June, 1886.] 

 Three steamers are engaged in taking them, being quite successful, although many 

 that are shot and sink in deep water are not recovered." ' 



[WHALE FISHERY IN THE GULF OF _MAINE, 1885.] 



" Whale fishing off the New England coast by small steamers is getting to be 

 quite a business. During the past two months [March and April (?), 1885] four 

 steamers have been engaged in this work, viz., Fannie Sprague, Mabel Bird, Hur- 

 ricane, and Josephine. 



" They cruise off the Maine and Massachusetts shores as far south as Cape Cod. 

 A bomb-lance, fired from a gun held at the shoulder, is used for killing the whales. 

 Up to date about 40 whales have been captured. 



"As the men become expert in the manner of capture, the whales become shy 

 and keep more in deep water. After being killed they usually sink, and it is 

 doubtful if the business, as at present conducted, will last if the whales are driven 

 off from near shore, it being difficult to recover them in over 40 fathoms of water. 



"The whales captured the past few weeks average 60 feet long and weigh 

 about 25 tons each ; they yield about 20 barrels of oil, 2 barrels of meat, 5 tons 

 of dry chum, and two tons of bone, about $400 being realized from each whale, 

 on the average." 3 



[WHALES OFF THE MAINE COAST.] 



"The fishermen [at Gloucester, Mass.] say that they have never seen whales 

 so numerous on the eastern shore as at present. The steamer Fannie /Sprague, of 

 Booth Bay, formerly used in the porgy fishery, which has been fitted out as a 

 whaler, shot six whales last week [March, 1885]. Two of them were safely towed 

 to Booth Bay, but the other four, which sunk, are buoyed. [Gloucester, Mass., 

 March 8, 1885.]" 4 



[STRANDING OF A FINBACK WHALE AT MT. DESERT LIGHT STATION, 1885.] 



"Writing under date of July 4, 1885, Thomas Milan, keeper, says : There was 

 a male Finback whale came ashore at this station, July 3. He is 56 feet long, cir- 

 cumference about 25 feet. The flukes have a breadth of 12 feet 1 inch; back fin, 

 1 foot 3 inches ; depth of flukes, 3 feet 2 inches ; f rom snout to back fin, 40 feet ; 

 length of mouth, 12 feet. The outside skin was nearly all stripped off, as he had 

 been eaten considerably by the sharks. The color of his back was a dark lead 

 color or nearly black ; flukes, upper side, same color ; under side, grayish-white." 5 



'CLARK, A. HOWARD. Bull. U. S. Fish Com., 4, 1884, p. 404. 



' WILCOX, W. A., New England Fisheries in June, 1886. Bull. U. S. Fish Com., 6, 1886, 

 p. 201. 



' WILCOX, W. A., New England Fisheries in April, 1885. Bull. U. S. Fish Com., 5, 1885, 

 p. 169. 



MARTIN, S. J. Bull. U. S. Fish Com., 5, 1885, p. 207. 



'SMILEY, CHARLES W. Bull. U. S. Fish Com., 5, 1885, p. 337. 



