134 



THE ZOOLOGIST. 



medium. Now it is well known that, owing apparently to the pau- 

 city of bhibber, the body of B. sibhaldii, immediately after death, 

 has a decided tendency to sink. Consequently, a sufficient quantity 

 of air must be retained in the lungs during life to establish the 

 necessary equihbrium. This quantity of air is, I think, exactly 

 represented by the amount exj^ired on the animal's appearance 

 at the surface in the manner described ; it is replaced necessarily 

 during respiration by the quantity of air inspired, but on this 

 occasion exceeded by the amount expired during the second puff ; 

 the latter operation being, therefore, the act of re-establishing 

 equilibrium between the weight of the body and the amount of 

 water it displaced. Of course, if the animal should have 

 occasion to reduce its power of flotation below equilibrium the 

 second puff will necessarily be greater, or if, on the other hand, 

 it should be in somewhat poor condition, the second puff will 

 become unnecessary, all the air retained in the lungs being 

 necessary to establish equilibrium. Meanwhile the body had 

 showed itself above water, the head broad and flattened, the 

 shoulders abrupt and noticeable; the back broad and flat in 

 front, narrow and sharp behind, surmounted by a small and 

 insignificant fin, situated far back just in front of the tail, 

 which latter did not appear above the surface. As these parts 

 each in succession appeared and passed in review, to the eye 

 their lines, interrupted and uneven, wanted those soft and gentle 

 curves which lend a beauty and a grace to the slower but more 

 majestic movements of the Eight Whale. 



The situation and condition of the ice rendering it apparent 

 that the South Greenland whaling would be a failure on the 8th, 

 we proceeded north-eastwards towards the open sea, turned the 

 point of ice which we had been to the westward of on the 10th, 

 and the same day we spoke the ' Hope ' and * Earl of Mar and 

 Kellie,' thereafter proceeded eastwards bound for the Barentz Sea. 



In the year 1880 Mr. Leigh Smith, in his yacht, the ' Eira,' 

 had seen two Eight Whales in one of the bays of Franz Joseph 

 Land during the month of August. There being, therefore, a 

 likelihood of finding whales amongst the ice in the offing, thither 

 we were going to examine for ourselves the nature of the 

 navigation, the state of the ice, and to endeavour to come to a 

 conclusion whether the coast of Franz Joseph Land is accessible 

 sufficiently early in the season to allow ships to reach it in time 



