28 A HISTORY OF THE WHALE FISHERIES 



and the developments it led to are described later 

 (Chapter VII). 



Probably there were two main groups of the 

 Nordcaper (B. biscayensis)\ one on the American 

 and the other on the European coasts of the 

 North Atlantic. The European stock first became 

 reduced. The history of nineteenth-century whal- 

 ing shows that this whale, like its near relative, the 

 Greenland Right Whale, has sadly diminished on 

 its old feeding grounds. More recently it appears 

 to have increased in numbers. It is certainly of 

 migratory habits, being found in winter to the south, 

 and in summer to the north. 



In the northern half of the Pacific is found the 

 Japan Whale or the Right Whale of the north-west 

 coast, but whether this is a variety of the Nordcaper 

 or is identical with the Southern Right Whale 

 (Balcena australis] is doubtful. This whale ranges 

 from the Aleutian Islands in the north to the coasts 

 of Japan and Oregon. The Japanese and the 

 American Pacific whalers both hunted this species. 

 In Scammon's time (1874) it was very abundant off 

 the Pacific coast of the United States. Its chief 

 habitat was the celebrated " Kodiac Ground " from 

 Vancouver Island north-west to the Aleutian chain, 

 and from the west coast to 150 W. Longitude. 

 There were large shoals also in the southern part 

 of Behring Sea, off the coast of Kamschatka and in 

 the Sea of Okhotsk. 



Off the American north-west coast this whale was 

 hunted by the American whalers in summer from 



