THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NOJJTH ATLANTIC. 67 



The business has been continued, with, perhaps, temporary intermissions, until the 

 present time. Between 20 and 30 whales have often been taken in a season, and 

 an average of 17 for the first 16 years. This station, as well as the other shore 

 whaling stations along the coast, was reported as closed during the early part of 

 1888, but was reopened in the fall, and up to March 9, 1889 (at which time the 

 fishery was suspended), 14 whales had been taken, which yielded 440 barrels of oil, 

 valued at $5,720. . . . 



" The season is from November to the middle of March, after which date the 

 whales have generally left the coast on their annual migration north. The species 

 taken here is usually the Gray whale ; the Humpback or ' summer whale ' is rarely 

 captured, and the same may be said of the Right whale. The best success is 

 usually met with in the early part of the season, when the whales are going south, 

 for in the late winter and spring, when returning, they keep farther off shore, and 

 the prevailing northerly winds and rough sea often prevent their successful pursuit. 

 Besides, as they are then in poor condition, there is not the same inducement to 

 hunt them. . . . 



" Alexander states that ' December, January, and February are the months in 

 which whales frequent this locality ; sometimes, however, a few are seen as late as 

 the middle of March. These months are called the down-run season ; the up- 

 run is of short duration, which, as a rule, lasts from 4 to 6 weeks. Whales when 

 migrating north are poor, but on their return south are invariably fat and contain 

 about 50 per cent more oil than when on their northern passage.' " 1 



[WHALES OFF THE COAST OF MONTEREY CO., CAL.] 



" Whales are reported more numerous than they were a few years ago, but no 

 attempt has been made to take them, at Monterey Bay since 1881, and the shore 

 whaling station at Carmel Bay was closed three years later." a 



[WHALES OFF CAPE FLATTERY, WASHINGTON.] 



"Whales, chiefly the small sharp-headed finner (Balcenoptera davidsoni Scam- 

 mon), are found off Cape Flattery and at the entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 

 where the Indians improve every opportunity to capture them." 3 



[WHALES OFF THE QUILLIHUTE R., WASHINGTON.] 



"These [Quillihute] Indians also engage in whaling during the summer; nine 

 Finback whales were captured in 1888; these were cut up and smoked for food. 

 The catch is wholly for home consumption and has no commercial importance." 4 



[WHALES OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA, MARCH AND APRIL, 1890.] 



" Whales were very common and were reported nearly every day, sometimes in 

 large numbers. On one occasion we steamed slowly into a school that were so 

 busily engaged in feeding that they paid little attention to us. Upon investiga- 

 tion it was ascertained that they were devouring a small globular jellyfish, half an 

 inch in diameter, which could be seen in immense masses from 3 to 5 fathoms 



1 COLLINS, J. W., Report on Fisheries of Pacific Coast. Rept. U. S. Fish. Com., 16, 1892, pp. 52- 

 53, pi. 3. ' Op. fit., p. 58. ' Op. cit., p. 245 ' Op. tit., p. 243. 



