WHALING AND BEAR-HUNTING 313 



steamers of up to seven thousand tons burden, and each com- 

 pany hunts the whales with, on an average, three to four small 

 steamers, which harpoon the whales within a radius of eighty 

 or ninety miles and tow them in to the shore factories, or 

 the floating factory which is at anchor in some sheltered 

 bay. The bodies are rapidly cut up at a fully equipped 

 land station, and both the blubber and carcass are entirely 

 utilised. At a floating station the bodies, as a rule, are cast 

 adrift. 



WHALE MEAT MEAL AND GUANO 



Whale meat meal is made from fresh whale flesh ; it is 

 used for feeding cattle. It contains 17J per cent, proteid, 

 and guano is made from the remaining flesh and about 

 one-third bone. The analysis of this gives 8*50 per cent, 

 ammonia and 21 per cent triboric phosphates. The whole 

 of the dried bones and meat may be made into one product 

 a rich guano with 10 to 12 per cent, ammonia and 

 17 to 24 per cent, phosphates. The best whale meat is 

 better to eat and tastes better than the best beef; it is 

 "lighter" and more appetising. The writer proposed to 

 supply an immense quantity to our military authorities, 

 but the offer was not accepted. 



WHALEBONE OR BALEEN 



The baleen or whalebone of these finner whales is only 

 worth about 30 per ton. It hardly pays to cure it and 

 market it. The whalebone of the Australis or Southern 

 Right whale has fallen to 85 per ton ; it is occasionally 

 caught. Its bones and that of the finner brought down the 

 price of the Greenland whalebone, which a few years ago 

 was sold at between 2000 and 3000 per ton, one good 

 whale having a ton in its mouth, which paid the expenses of 

 the trip. 



During the short season, 1st November till end of April, 

 in a recent year the catch in South Georgia by twenty-one 

 steamers amounted to five thousand whales, finner, hump- 

 back and blue whales, which gave two hundred thousand 

 barrels of whale oil and eight thousand tons guano. 



