THE FINWHALE IISHERY. 285 
Two foetuses of the latter species were found at Pasvig on 
August 10th, one measuring 6 ft. and the other about 5 ft. 
Capt. Sérensen (now Harbour-master of Vardo) believes that 
Common Rorquals pair in December or January, and generalises 
to the effect that foetuses of this species are from 6 to 12 inches 
in April, and from 6 to 10 feet in August, and are from 16 to 
20 ft. long at birth. He is also of opinion that Blue Whales 
have no fixed time for pairing, as foetuses may be found at the 
same date of from 1 to 20 feet in length. 
There seems little doubt that whalers do not as a rule lose 
much through not coming earlier to the fishing quarters, as the 
only report I have of whales seen on the passage north is from 
Capt. Hoff, who reports, “‘ On the 16th March a pair of Hump- 
backs seen half a (sea ?) mile from land, outside Gamvig-Mehayn, 
and no whale seen besides them on the passage north from the 
6th to 17th March.” But he goes on to say, ‘‘A quantity of 
Common Rorquals and Humpbacks seem to have been under the 
land about Vardé, and on the Murman coast, in the month of 
February.” 
“Did not see whales congregated in any large numbers. 
Rudolphi’s Rorquals, up to fifty together, were observed forty 
English miles north of Tanahorn on 24th July, and sixty English 
miles N.N.W. of Nordkyn on 20th August.” . 
“The whales have this year remained constantly far out at 
sea, especially between twenty-five and sixty English miles from 
land, as the fishing, so far as the’ East Finmarken vessels were 
concerned, has been constantly outside the Nordkyn, and the 
North Cape; and only of short duration, and occasionally, to the 
eastward of Tana. Common Rorquals were scarcely obtained to 
the eastward of Vardé, and only a few Blue Whales to the east- 
ward by Norwegian boats. The season has been uncommonly 
stormy right throughout until the second half of July, but, on 
the contrary, calm and beautiful weather the greater part of 
August.” 
Capt. Berg (Syltefjord) writes, “‘ The months of April and 
part of May were unusually cold in Finmarken this year, the 
- temperature of the sea being especially very low, to which we 
attributed the poor ‘‘ Loddefiske ”” (= Capelan* fishery), and also 

* Mallotus arcticus. 
