540 
Aton-cult. That there are no traces whatever of such 
influences, but that the Aton-cult is in every respect 
essentially Egyptian, the facts set forth in this article 
must have_made perfectly clear. However, it is pos- 
sible that Okhnatén had foreign blood in his veins, for 
Prof. Elliot Smith maintains that his maternal grand- 
father, Iuyu, is distinctly non-Egyptian in type. To 
this dash of foreign blood, therefore, may well be due 
the originality clearly displayed by Okhnat6n in the 
particular expression which he gave to a certain trend 
of religious thought prevailing among his contem- 
poraries. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 
J. H. Breasted, ‘‘ Development of Religion and Thought in Ancient 
Egypt,’’ London, 1912, pp. 312-343. 
By the same author, “ A History of Egypt,” London, 1906, pp. 355-395. 
A. M. Blackman, “A Study of the Liturgy celebrated in the Temple of 
NATURE 

[APRIL 21, 1923 
the Aton at El-Amarna,” in Recueil d'études égyptologiques dédié a la 
mémoire de Jean-Francois Champollion, Paris, 1922, pp. 505-527. 
By the same author, the article ‘‘ Worship”? (Egyptian) in Hastings’ 
“Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics,”’ § iv. 
A. Erman, ‘‘ A Handbook of Egyptian Religion,” translated by A. S. 
Griffith, London, 1907, pp. 57-70. 
By the same author, “‘ Die agyptische Religion,’ zweite umgearbeitete 
Auflage, Berlin, 1909, pp. 71-84. . 
L. Borchardt, ‘‘ Aus der Arbeit an den Funden von Tell el-Amarna,” in 
Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft @u Berlin, March 1917, No. 57. 
N. de G. Davies, “‘ The Rock Tombs of El-Amarna,’’ in six parts, London, 
1903-1908. - 
eta Schafer, ‘‘Die friibesten Bildnisse Kénig Amenophis des IV. Ein 
Beitrag zur Entstehung der Kunst von Tell El-Amarna,” in Amtliche Berichte — 
aus den preuszischen Kunstsammlungen, xl. Jahrgang, Nr. 10, Juli 1919, 
. 211-230. 
PPay the same author, “‘ Die Anfange der Reformation Amenophis des IV.,”” 
in Sutzungsberichte der preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1919, Xxvi. 
. 477-484. 
sat Sethe, ‘ Beitrage zur Geschichte Amenophis IV.,’’ Nachrichten der k. 
Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Gottingen, philologisch-historische Klasse, 
1921, pp. IOT-130. Maz : 
C. Siemens and G. Auer, ‘‘ Koenig Echnaton in El-Amarna,” Leipzig, 1922. 
A. Weigall, ‘‘ The Life and Times of Akhnaton, Pharaoh of Egypt,’’ new 
and revised edition, London, 1923. 
Scientific Investigation of the Whaling Problem. 
By Sir Srpney F. Harmer, K.B.E., F.R.S. 
chee Colonial Office has recently announced that 
the Discovery has been purchased by the Crown 
Agents for the Colonies, on behalf of the Falkland 
Islands, for employment in researches, principally on 
whaling, off South Georgia and the South Shetlands. 
The Discovery was built for Capt. R. F. Scott’s first 
Antarctic Expedition (1901-1904). She is a strong 
wooden vessel of about 700 tons register, and she has 
been chosen with special reference to her suitability 
for ice-work. 
Subantarctic whaling commenced at the end of 1904, 
at a time when the industry was regarded as almost 
obsolete, owing to the exhaustion of the old whaling 
fields. It increased with so much rapidity that more 
than 10,000 whales were caught during the season 
1911-12. At first concerned almost exclusively with 
the humpback, the operations are at present supported 
almost entirely at the expense of the much larger fin 
whale and blue whale. Humpbacks showed an 
alarming decline in numbers after the rg11—12 season, 
though they have made some recovery during the last 
two whaling seasons. 
It should be realised that modern whaling is carried 
on by comparatively small steam vessels fitted with 
appliances for the capture of the whales, the products 
of which are worked up by factories on shore or by 
larger steamers, the floating factories. In either case, 
suitable harbours are required as bases, and the most 
favourable localities at present known are South Georgia, 
which lies to the east of the Falkland Islands, and the 
South Shetlands, which are farther to the south-west. 
These islands are dependencies of the Falkland Islands, 
and are accordingly under British jurisdiction. 
As the result of several memoranda which were 
prepared in 1917 by Mr. E. R. Darnley, of the Colonial 
Office, an Interdepartmental Committee on research 
and development in the dependencies of the Falkland 
Islands was appointed by the Secretary of State for 
the Colonies in 1918 ; and its report (Cmd. 657) was 
published in 1920. The report contained a number of 
recommendations with regard to the investigations 
which were required ; and the purchase of the Discovery 
is the first practical result of these suggestions. It 
should be mentioned that an earlier Anglo-Swedish 
scheme for the investigation of the same problems 
was abandoned on the outbreak of war in 1914. 
NO. 2790, VOL. 111] 



The object of the projected voyages is to obtain 
scientific evidence bearing on the whaling problem 
generally, with the view of ascertaining to what extent 
protective measures are required. It has to be deter- 
mined, in the first instance, what are the species of 
whales which are being hunted. Although known to 
the whalers as humpback, fin whale, and blue whale, 
it is uncertain whether these are identical with the 
northern whales known by the same names. Whales 
are migratory animals, and there can be no reasonable 
doubt that they visit the Antarctic Ocean in order to 
profit by the rich food-supply of its waters, and that 
they afterwards depart, fatter than when they arrived, 
to warmer waters, which are probably visited for 
breeding purposes. More definite information is re- 
quired with regard to these migrations, and it is hoped 
that it may be possible to obtain direct evidence hy a 
system of marking individual whales. 
The period of gestation, the seasons when pairing 
and birth take place, and the rate of growth after birth 
all need further study. The plankton requires in- 
vestigation, in view of the dependence of the whales 
on it for food ; while the temperature of the water, 
with other hydrographical questions, has to be studied. 
in order to ascertain how far these factors influence the 
movements of whales. There is already some reason 
to suppose that the position of the northern edge of 
the Antarctic ice is a factor which is correlated with 
the success or failure of a season’s working. If the 
summer is relatively warm the ice will be too far to 
the south and the whales will probably be too distant 
from the base. If the summer is cold the whales will — 
be too much to the north. It may be anticipated that 
there is an optimum position for the ice which brings 
the main stream of whales to the neighbourhood of 
the whaling stations. 
Although whalebone whales all feed on plankton, 
individual species are known to have a preference for 
one kind of plankton rather than another. In most 
localities the humpback consumes a considerable 
amount of fish, while the blue whale is said to feed 
exclusively on Crustacea. The distribution and the 
seasonal occurrence of various kinds of plankton, and 
the examination of the stomach-contents of whales, 
are matters with which the expedition will certainly 
have to deal; and the results may prove to have a 


