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{VOYAGE OF THE ‘ECLIPSE. 47 
caused by the action of its caudal fin appeared at the surface, 
but soon afterwards the animal itself—-although still under 
water—became visible; moving towards one of the boats, imme- 
diately under which, at the depth of only a few feet, it afterwards 
for some time lay motionless, one of its eyes being directed 
upwards. Finally, raising the tip of its upper jaw a few inches 
above the surface, with its body depending downwards and its 
soft and unprotected back under water, it moved slowly round 
the boat at the distance of only a few feet from its side. When 
opposite the boat’s bow it suddenly raised its back above the 
surface and descended: before it disappeared, however, it was 
harpooned. The animal undoubtedly had seen the harpooner 
directing the harpoon-gun towards it, and, taking alarm, had 
endeavoured to escape. In the course of an hour or so this 
Whale was duly killed, and, the ship having been anchored to a 
field of ice, was afterwards flenched. The following are a few 
notes which I made :— 
Sex.—Male. 
Colour.—A deep velvety black throughout, with the exception of a 
little white on the under surface of the lower jaw extending backwards from 
the tip, and a greyish appearance at the rump where the lobes of the tail 
commence to expand outwards. 
Measurements.— From tip of lower jaw to articulation of condyles, 
13 ft. 6 in.; to umbilicus, 22 ft.; to preputial orifice, anterior end, 22 ft. 
6 in.—posterior end, 26 ft.; to anus, 28 ft. 6 in.; to median cleft of caudal 
fin, 40 ft.6in. Breadth across the under surface of lower jaw, 8 ft.; 
between the fins, 7 ft.3in. Length of pectoral fin, 6 ft.; breadth, 3 ft. 8 in. 
Length of longest plate of whalebone, 8 ft. 4in.; breadth at the base, 10 ft. 
Number of plates of whalebone, 579. 
The opening of the ear, which is somewhat difficult to discover, 
and which I have sometimes searched for in vain, was in this 
Whale 16” behind and slightly below the posterior canthus of 
_ the eye,—a minute opening, as in other Cetaceans. I did not 
succeed in examining the stomach, but the intestine I found 
_ contained reddish matter, similar in appearance to the foeces I 
_ obtained from the last Whale we killed. By comparing the 
_ Measurements just given with those of the female Whale killed 
on May 26th, it will be seen that there is no marked proportionate 
difference in the length of the head with relation to the extreme 
length of the body between the two sexes. In both Whales the 
