206 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



67 ft. ; (ditto), 61 ft. ; 56 ft. (killed on 21st— last of the season) : 

 average, twenty-three males, 60 ft. 1 in. ; twelve females, 63§ ft. 

 The so-called "hybrids" (=" Bastarder") average nearly 5 ft. 

 longer than those of the normal type, in spite of the two 

 smallest specimens of this species being included under the 

 former variety. 



With respect to the variation in individuals of this species, 

 Capt. Aloff (of the Laurvig Co.) remarks : — " The Common 

 Rorquals captured have varied with respect to colour, build 

 (especially as regards the tail), the size and fashion of the back- 

 fin, but must all be reckoned as included in the common species." 

 (Translated.) 



Rudolphi's Rorquals. — Capt. Berg killed — Males : June 

 21st, 44 ft. ; July, 41, 45, 45 ft. Females : July 30th, 46 ft. (con- 

 taining foetus 4 ft. 10 in. long) ; August 11th, 48 ft. (his last whale 

 of the season) : average, four males, 43| ; and two females, 

 47 Norw. ft. Capt. Horn obtained, males, July 5th, 42 and 45 

 Norw. ft., and a female, on July 9th, 44 ft. Capt. Berntzen 

 measured three males 45 Norw. ft. each; females, 45, 36, 16, 41 ft.: 

 average of the latter, 42f Norw. ft. 



Prof. Collett (of Christiania), writing to me some time since, 

 called attention to my doubtful identification of Dolphins in ' The 

 Zoologist,' 1887, p. 209, as D. tursio, which he says is not known 

 to occur so far north. I did not attempt to do more than doubt- 

 fully refer them to this species, but they appeared to me to 

 correspond closely to the description and figures of D. tursio 

 (especially Prof. Flower's beautiful figure, Trans. Zool. Soc. xi. 

 pi. i.), and not to D. delphis, or any other species of the genus. 

 Prof. Flower (op. cit. p. 5) says " it probably has a more northern 

 range than D. delphis." 1 



In last year's report the loss of the 'Vardohus' was briefly 

 mentioned (this was the ship a cruise in which I described in 

 1 The Zoologist' for 1884) ; further details of this sad catastrophe 

 are as follows: — The 'Vardohus' left Sandefjord about noon on 

 March 22nd, 1887, bound to Finmarken, and had about forty-eight 

 men on board.* When night fell the wind was blowing fresh from 

 the S.E., and it was very dark, with snow-drifts. About midnight 



* This number includes the " flensers," &c, who remain ashore during 

 the whaling season, at the factory. 



