1908.] Allen, The XortJi Atlantic Right Whale. 283 



distinctive characters, although recognizing it as a distinct species from the 

 "Eilandsche Vissch" or Greenland Whale. He speaks of it as a southern 

 whale, rarely* or never appearing within the range of the Greenland Whale. 

 He quotes several statements from Martens, and among others this : that in 

 the stomach of a small whale called " Noordkaper," taken near Hetland, 

 was found a barrel of herrings. 1 In substance his account of its size and 

 yield of oil is not different from those given by Edge and Martens. On 

 the hearsay statement that it feeds upon fish he ventures the opinion that the 

 reason it frequents the coasts of Iceland and Norway is on account of the 

 -abundance there of the small fish that form its prey. 



Egede, in his 'Description of Greenland' (originally published in Danish 

 in 1741), adds little that is new to its history. His account is in substance 

 Martens's and Zorgdrager's combined, and probably reflects the knowledge 

 of the species then current among whalemen. He says these whales are 

 "called North Capers, from their place of abode, which is about the North 

 Cape of Norway, though they also frequent the coasts of Iceland, Greenland, 

 and sundry other seas, going in search of their prey, which is herring and 

 other small fish, that resort in abundance to those coasts. It has been 

 observed that some of these North Cape whales have had more than a tun of 

 herrings in their belly. 2 This kind of whales has this in common with the 

 former called fin-whale [which he has just described], in that it is very 

 swift and quick in its motion and keeps off from the shore in the main sea, 

 as fearing to become a prey to its enemies, if it should venture too near the 

 shore. His fat is tougher and harder than that of the Great-bay Whale; 

 neither are his barders or bones so long and valuable, for which reason he 

 is neglected." 3 



Anderson, in his 'Nachrichten von Island,' published in 1747, adds also 

 little to the history of the Nordkaper beyond a grotesque account of the way 

 the Icelanders capture it, which Harrebow pronounced purely a fabrication. 



In regard to the "Sletbag" of the Icelanders, Eschricht and Reinhardt 

 believe that they are able to trace its history back to the "celebrated 'Konge- 

 speil' (Mirror of Royalty) of the 12th century," and quote from it passages 

 which seem to refer to it, as well as others from later Icelandic writings. 

 In commenting on the information derived from these sources they say 

 "We learn. . . .that this 'Sletbag' of the old Icelanders was really a whale- 

 bone whale (and therefore as a w r halebone whale with a finless back, a 



1 This statement is of special interest as being the origin of the report, repeated by scores 

 of subsequent writers, including the early sy.sematists, that the Nordkaper is a fish-eating 

 species. Martens, however, gave the information at second-hand, as his words, here following, 

 distinctly show: "Ich habe von andern vernommen. dass bey Heitland ein kleiner Wallfisch 

 gefangen, ins gemein Nord-Kaper genandt, der hat inehr als ein Tonne Bering bey sich gehabt." 

 Spitsbergeisch eoder Groenlandische Reise-Beschreibung, p. 107. 



1 He evidently here alludes to Martens's report about the Heitland whale already quoted 



3 Description of Greenland, 2d London ed., 1818, p. 73. 



