THE WHALEBONE "WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 65 



[WHALES OFF PLYMOUTH, MASS., 1885.] 



" Mr. John F. Holmes, keeper of the Gurnet life-saving station [4 miles N. E. 

 of Plymouth, Mass.], writing under date of July 8, 1885, says that on July 5th 

 schools of whales and porpoises appeared near that station, and on July 7 quite a 

 large quantity of mackerel was taken." l 



[WHALES ON THE GRAND BANKS, 1885.] 



" It is worthy of note that swordfish and Finback whales were seen in unusual 

 abundance on July 13 [between Brown's Bank and N.E. extremity of George's 

 Bank]. During the first part of the day as many as 20 swordfish were seen in from 

 6 to 8 hours ; frequently 2 or 3 were in sight at the same time. As many as 20 

 whales were seen at one time during the morning, and a still greater number were 

 seen during the afternoon. At station 2528 [lat. 41 47' N. ; long. 65 37' 30" W.] 

 they were very numerous, apparently feeding on small Crustacea, probably from 40 

 to 50 whales being in sight at one time. They were all Finbacks, so far as I could 

 tell. Their movements were sluggish, as they ' played ' back and forth in the 

 tide rips, with their mouths open, the upper jaw just at the surface, scooping in 

 ' feed.' They were joined by a school of porpoises (probably Delphinus del/phis), 

 which drove in among the whales, their movements indicating that they were 

 feeding, but of this we could not be sure." 2 



[WHALE FISHERY IN THE GULF OF MAINE, 1886.] 



"Thus far the ' kyacks ' have not been sufficiently abundant to warrant the 

 factory men in devoting their attention exclusively to this species ; but the business 

 is carried on profitably in connection with the shore-whaling for Finbacks, which 

 has become important. Last year five small steamers were engaged in this shore- 

 whaling, the fleet landing part of the whales at Province town, Mass., and the 

 remainder at the factories in Maine. About seventy-five whales were captured by 

 this fleet last year, and the carcasses of some of them were boiled and made into 

 scrap, which sells when dried at $22 a ton, the only objection to it being the large 

 percentage of oil which it contains. That made to date averages about 25 percent. 

 of oil." (Extract from a letter of Mr. E,. Edward Earll to Prof. S. F. Baird, dated 

 Gloucester, Mass., September 17, 1886.) 3 



In addition, the Bulletins contain translations of several important papers on 

 Norwegian whale fisheries, and an article by Mr. Chas. H. Townsend on the California 

 Gray whale, Rhachianectes glaucus* This article specifies the number and location 

 of the whaling stations on the California coast, the number of whales taken, their 

 habits, food, etc., and is accompanied by four original drawings of a fcetal specimen 

 17 ft. long observed at St. Simeon Bay, Cal. 



The Reports of the Commission contain the following : 



'SMILEY, CHARLES W. Bull. U. S. Fish Com., 5, 1885, p. 347. 



1 COLLINS, J. W., Notes on an investigation of the Great Fishing Banks of the Western Atlantic. 

 Bull. U. S. Fish Com., 6, 1886, p. 381. 



' Bull. U. S. Fish Com., 6, 1886, pp. 312-313. 



4 TOWNSEND, C. H., Present Condition of the California Gray-whale Fishery. Bull. U. S. Fish 

 Com., 6, 1886, pp. 346-350, pis. 6-7. 



