WHALEBONE WHALES. 13 



ribs are very broad and flattened, and are seventeen in number. The whalebone 

 of this species is more flexible, more elastic, and tougher than that of any other ; 

 and if it could be obtained in any quantity would fetch a higher price in the 

 market than that of the Greenland whale. 



THE GREY WHALE. 

 Genus Rhachianectes. 



The grey whale of the North Pacific (Rhachianectes glaucus), taking its name 

 from the bluish grey colour of its skin, is also the single representative of its 

 genus. This species serves as a kind of connecting link between the right-whales 

 on the one hand and the humpback and finners on the other, and is in all prob- 

 ability a very ancient and generalised type. It agrees with the humpback in the 

 absence of a fin on the back and the narrowness of the flippers, but resembles 

 the finners in the relatively small size of the head, the elongated form of the body, 

 the shortness and brittle nature of the whalebone, and in the almost complete 

 separation of all the vertebras of the neck. A further approximation to the 

 humpback and finners is made by the presence of a single pair of flutings in 

 the skin of the throat, The male attains a length of from 35 to 42 feet, and the 

 female from 40 to 44 feet, the length of the flippers being about 6J feet. The 

 general colour is a mottled bluish grey, becoming very light in some individuals, 

 while in others it is nearly black. The whalebone is relatively shorter than in 

 any other species, scarcely exceeding 18 inches in length, and is yellow in colour. 



In the skeleton the ribs are remarkable for their shortness and great width, 

 and the consequent narrowness of the spaces between them ; while the first two 

 are more or less completely united together to form a solid shield of bone. In the 

 flippers the joints of the digits are very short and thick, and appear to be less 

 numerous than in the finners. The blubber is solid and tough, with a reddish 

 colour, and yields comparatively little oil. 



At the present day the grey whale is confined to the North 



Pacific, and does not range further south than the 20th parallel 



of north latitude. From the evidence of certain bones found in the superficial 



deposits of the British Islands, and described under the name of Eschrichtius, 



it is, however, not improbable that it formerly frequented the Atlantic. 



It is a migratory species, appearing on the coasts of California 

 and Oregon for the purpose of breeding from November to May, and 

 going northwards for the rest of the year. Captain Scammon says that in its 

 regular migrations from the hot southern latitudes to within the Arctic Circle this 

 whale follows the general trend of an irregular coast so closely that it is exposed to 

 attack from the savage tribes inhabiting the seashores, who pass much of their 

 time in their canoes, and consider the capture of this singular wanderer a feat 

 worthy of the highest distinction. As it approaches the waters of the torrid 

 zone, it presents an opportunity to the civilised whalemen to practise their 

 different modes of strategy, thus hastening the period of its entire disappearance. 

 This species of whale manifests the greatest affection for its young, and seeks the 



