NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



Malays declared it to be tender, juicy and of good 

 flavour. The skeleton and baleen were secured for 

 the Port Elizabeth Museum. 



In the past this species of Whale came into the 

 various bays in mid-winter to produce their young, 

 but man's merciless persecution has resulted in their 

 seeking more hospitable shores for bringing forth 

 their progeny. 



The whalebone of the Hump-backed Whale is short 

 and consequently not of much commercial value ; 

 and the blubber is not sufficient to make it worth 

 while to hunt it too far afield. 



The Hump-backed Whale is, . however, rapidly 

 disappearing from South African waters. 



Hump-backs frequent nearly all the seas of the 

 world, and they all seem to be of one species, although 

 some naturalists claim the Hump-back of the Persian 

 Gulf to be distinct from the common form. 



The name Hump-back is derived from an eleva- 

 tion on the back which carries the dorsal fin. This 

 prominence varies very much in different indi- 

 viduals. When " sounding," these whales can 

 remain about twenty minutes under water. On 

 rising to the surface they always " blow," and the 

 column of vapour rises to a height of fifteen feet. 



The amount of oil yielded by a Hump-back varies 

 considerably. Females with large young ones are 

 lean and often yield about ten barrels of oil, while 

 others have yielded as much as seventy-five barrels. 



These whales, when fully adult, average 40 to 

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