458 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



told me that once, when eighty English miles from land, he saw 

 a whale seventy-five to eighty feet long, the colour of the cheese 

 well known to everyone who has been in Norway, called " Mses 

 Ost" (that is, a shade or two lighter colour than brown Windsor 

 soap) ; it was with a Blue Whale, and had a small fin like that 

 species. Captain S. also told me of whales which he called 

 "Langror" (Longreed), between fifty and sixty feet long, which 

 are thinner than Finners ; yellow nearly all over, and black on 

 the under side. I think it will be allowed that all these appear 

 like varieties of the common species, except perhaps the one 

 described as like " Maes Ost," which is as likely to have been a 

 variety of the Blue Whale. 



Dr. Guldberg (' Vardo Posten,' Aug. 19th, 1883) says of the 

 Finner : — " Its length varies between sixty and seventy feet. The 

 form of its body is rather slender, the greatest thickness lies 

 behind the pectoral fins, and is most pronounced in old indi- 

 viduals. The pectorals are comparatively small, one-ninth to 

 one-tenth of the length of the body, rather pointed and lancet- 

 shaped. The back fin is small, with the point bent upwards and 

 backwards, but arching forwards and curving inwards on the 

 hinder side. The colour is above blackish, or else grey-black ; 

 underneath it is white, with a greyish band passing over it. 

 Now and then, both in this and the following species, one meets 

 with yellowish tinges, which originate from a peculiar colouring- 

 matter ; this likewise occurs among the older specimens. There 

 is a vai'iety of it, called 'Langror' (Longreed), which is chiefly 

 conspicuous from its length and slender build. The white colour 

 under the throat reaches to the sides and on to the under jaw. 

 The baleen-plates are short, the longest is scarcely 3 ft. ; the 

 colour is blue-grey or black-grey, with light stripes and yellow 

 hair ; they are likewise light on the sides, where the light colour 

 extends up to the under jaw. The foremost baleen-plates are 

 yellow and grejdsh white." (' Vardo Posten,' Aug. 26th). — " Its 

 food consists partly of fish, — as, for instance, herring, small cod, 

 and capelan ; partly of small crustaceans, e.rj., shrimps. It is 

 this whale which is called 'Loddehvalen' (Capelan Whale), when 

 it is seen constantly pursuing the shoals of Capelan)." 



Sibbald's Eorqual {Balcenoptera sihhaldii, Gray). — Norwegian 

 name, Blaa Hval = the Blue Whale. Besides parts of several 

 skeletons and quantities of loose bones, and a specimen already 



