WHALES AND THEIR CLASSIFICATION 23 



deep water. This plankton, even when it does not 

 serve as the direct food of certain species of whales, 

 nevertheless forms the basis of the food supply of 

 the cephalopods and fish on which these whales 

 feed. 



Guldberg 1 agrees with this theory provided that 

 too narrow an interpretation is not placed on the 

 word " coastal." Unquestionably the food problem 

 is the one which mainly governs the movements of 

 whales, and therefore they are most often met with 

 in localities where such food is most abundant. The 

 coastal areas and banks are naturally very extensive, 

 and not susceptible of being closed (either partially 

 or wholly) to whaling operations by the governments 

 of the countries off whose shores they lie. For 

 instance, the Kodiac ground in the Pacific Ocean is 

 a very extensive area covering hundreds of square 

 miles. There is, however, one whale which is 

 unquestionably not to be regarded as coastal in its 

 habitat, and that is the Cachalot or Sperm Whale. 

 When a whale is found to live mainly or exclusively 

 on a given species of plankton the distribution of 

 the whale corresponds with the distribution of that 

 species. The second factor in the distribution of 

 the whale is reproduction. The female whale seeks 

 out a quiet area for the birth of her young and for 

 the first few months of its life. Pairing also, for the 

 most part, takes place in quiet weather, although 

 there are very few authentic observations of this. 

 A third factor is the water temperature. 



1 Biol. Cenlralblatt.y xxiii. and xxiv., 1903- j. 



