WHALE HUNTING WITH GUN AND CAMERA 



By the establishment of shore stations these diffi- 

 culties have been largely eliminated. The whales are 

 usually drawn entirely out of the water upon the slip 

 where, before the blubber is stripped off, they can be 

 measured, photographed, and described. As they are 

 being cut in it is possible to make a fairly detailed 

 study of the fresh skeleton and other parts of the 

 anatomy if the investigator is not afraid of blood and 

 grease. Moreover the great number of whales of a 

 single species brought to the stations allows a study 

 of individual variation, which evidently is greater 

 among some of the large cetaceans than in other groups 

 of mammals. 



Since shore stations are located in widely separated 

 parts of the world, they have facilitated investiga- 

 tions of the distribution, life history, and relation- 

 ships of large whales, which otherwise would have 

 been impossible. Thus it is obvious that a naturalist 

 who is fortunate enough to stay for some time at a 

 modern factory has opportunities for original work 

 such as were undreamed of before the days of steam 

 whaling. 



The directors of the companies, and the managers 

 of the stations, have usually been glad to assist in 

 the study of the animals which form the basis of 

 their industry, and have generously extended the cour- 

 tesies of their ships and stations. In some instances 

 they have gone to considerable trouble to secure speci- 

 mens which could be prepared and presented to mu- 

 seums in various parts of the world for exhibition 

 and osteological study. It is deeply to be regretted 



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