THE FINWHALE FISHERY. 287 
gradually drive them close in shore. The Cod likewise, wishing 
to prey upon the Capelan, follow the driven masses towards the 
shore, and so come within reach of the fishermen: They are 
fully persuaded that if the whales are in turn harried at this 
time, they will shift far out to sea, and the Capelan being 
no longer frightened towards the coast by their gigantic 
pursuers, the cod fishery will fall off, and that it has even already 
begun to do so. 
All this the whalers deny in toto, and, so far as I can judge, 
with reason: for even allowing that the shoals are rounded up by 
whales, to afford them a more complete mouthful, is it likely that 
the survivors will rush away for miles towards the land because 
they have been alarmed by the apparition of the gigantic jaws of 
a Rorqual? Is it not rather in the nature of such small fish to 
be content with a flight at best speed of a few yards, or, as we 
_ dre speaking of the open sea, of a few fathoms ? 
However, this question—so constantly brought forward by 
the fishermen—was considered of such serious consequence 
(considering the enormous value to the country which the cod - 
fishing represents) that Prof. G. O. Sars, of Christiania Univer- 
sity, went up to Finmarken last summer to investigate the matter 
at first hand; and there I had the pleasure of making his 
acquaintance. Capt. Bull has kindly sent me a copy of his 
‘Report to the Department for the Interior, from Prof. Dr. 
G. O. Sars, on the practical scientific investigations set on foot 
by him in the summer of 1888, concerning the sea-fisheries, also 
concerning the close season for whales in Finmarken. Christi- 
ania, 1888.’ 
As it is impossible to quote his arguments in extenso, I will 
merely say that he acquits the whaling of any damage to the 
fisheries, a conclusion in which I fancy most people (except the 
fishermen) will agree with him. 
On the passage out from England across the North Sea, on 
August 3rd, when 140 miles N.E.4N. (magnetic) from the Spurn, 
saw at least three whales heading about 8.S.E., which were 
probably feeding. I could not identify them with certainty, but 
believed: them to be Rudolphi’s Rorquals. From their dark 
colour: the choice lay between this species and Humpbacks. 
Directly afterwards saw two (at least) Common Rorquals 
(almost certainly) heading about S. by W., so as almost 
