PREFACE 



way, and thus satisfy a desire which has been ever 

 present in my mind since I began the study 'of whales. 



Some portions of this book have been published 

 as separate articles in the American Museum Jour- 

 nal, World's Work, Metropolitan, Outing, National 

 Geographic, and other magazines, but by far the 

 greater part of it is new. 



There have been many pleasurable sides to the work, 

 but one of the most delightful has been the friends 

 that I have made, and my cordial reception by the offi- 

 cials of the whaling companies in whatever corner of 

 the world I have chanced to be. 



Space will not permit me to mention all those to 

 whom I am indebted and who have contributed to the 

 success of the various expeditions, but I wish first to 

 express my gratitude to the Trustees of the American 

 Museum of Natural History, under whose auspices all 

 my work upon cetaceans has been conducted, and 

 especially to President Henry Fairfield Osborn for his 

 encouragement and wise counsel. 



Captains I. N. Hibberd and John Barneson have 

 never failed in kindness and the President and Di- 

 rectors of the Toyo Hogei Kabushiki Kaisha of Osaka, 

 and Mr. D. Ogiwara of Shimonoseki, Japan, are in 

 a large measure responsible for the success of the work 

 conducted in the Orient. Not only did these gentlemen 

 freely extend the courtesies of their ships and stations, 

 but also presented to the American Museum of Natural 

 History skeletons of all the large Japanese cetaceans, 

 which are the only specimens of Asiatic whales in 

 America. 



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