Distribution of Whales and Dolphins. 101 



bone and a bifid first rib. It has been called, but not described 

 as, Balmna hiscayensis by Eschricht. M. van Beneden has 

 made a species under this name from the cervical vertebrae of a 

 whale found at Sainte Marguerite in the Mediterranean, the 

 subfossil cervical vertebrae dredged up at Lyme Regis, and the 

 ear-bones of the Balcena cisarctica from the coast of North 

 America (!), never having seen either the skeleton at Copen- 

 hagen or a figure of it ; and it is easy to see by the comparison 

 of the two cervical masses, which he gives on the same plate, 

 that they do not belong to the same species. It was possible 

 that this might be the same whale that occurs at Sainte Mar- 

 guerite in the Mediterranean, or might be the same as that 

 found at Lyme Regis, as that is consistent with what we know 

 of the habits of whales ; but we have proof of its not being so ; 

 and it is not the one found in America, if Mr. Flower's note is 

 correct. 



The Arctic whales and dolphins on the western coast of the 

 Atlantic are numerous ; Dr. Brown mentions two or three 

 Right Whales. Some of these migrate southwards down the 

 east coast of North America; and it is to be observed that some 

 of the Arctic species inhabit that side of the Atlantic which are 

 not found at all, or only as stragglers, on the north coast of 

 Europe. Some species, as Beluga^ go much further south on 

 the coast of Labrador and Nova Scotia than they do on the 

 coast of Europe. 



There were formerly whale-fisheries on the southern parts 

 of the west side of the Atlantic ; but, like those in the Bay of 

 Biscay, they no longer exist, the whales having been destroyed 

 or driven away by commerce. The south-western part of the 

 North Atlantic has forms peculiar to it, as is the case on the 

 eastern side ; for as yet the Ziphioid Whales, the Gramjn^ 

 Delplnnus^ &c. have not been observed on the American coast, 

 nor does the Scrag-Whale [Agaphelus) occur on the coast of 

 Europe. This is very inconsistent with the theory that the 

 whales of the same species inhabit a belt across the Atlantic 

 and other oceans, each species occurring in a peculiar locality. 



In the first volume of the 'Philosophical Transactions' (for 

 1665, p. 11) there is an account "of the New American Whale- 

 fishing about Bermuda ;" and at p. 132 there is "a further 

 Relation of the Whale-fishing about the Bermudas and the 

 Coast of New England and New Netherland ;" and it appears 

 that tliere then existed a Bermuda Company. The writer ob- 

 serves, ''these whales are met with between the coast of New 

 England and New Netherland, where theymight becaught eight 

 or nine months in the year, whereas those about the Bermudas 

 are to be found there only in the months of February, March, 



