J 86 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



lost in Cumberland Gulf, making, with the ' Resolute ' before 

 mentioned, four Dundee vessels which fell victims to the "thick- 

 ribbed ice" last season. Nor was this all, for the ' Catherine' of 

 Peterhead, a sailing brig of 190 tons, after various adventures 

 on reefs and rocks, was finally beached and abandoned on the 

 30th September in Cumberland Gulf. Fortunately the crews in 

 all cases were rescued. 



In the Davis Straits plenty of Whales are reported to have 

 been seen both in the early and late fishing ; but the weather was 

 so bad, combined with heavy seas and ice floes of a very 

 dangerous character, that fishing was impossible ; and during the 

 summer months, when the best fishing is usually met with, the 

 young Whales which, as a rule, ai-e then found in Lancaster 

 Sound, although the ships were through Melville Bay in good 

 time to meet them in passing, were altogether absent, having, 

 it is conjectured, taken some other passage. 



The Davis Straits and Cumberland Gulf vessels, ten in 

 number, killed nineteen Whales. These are said to have yielded 

 380 tons of oil, and 290 cwt. of bone, giving an average of 

 20 tons of oil and 15 cwt. of bone each, a very high average for 

 the Straits Whales, which is probably to some extent accounted 

 for by the summer fishing of the young Whales being a failure, 

 those taken being in consequence all adults. Of this I shall 

 have something more to say presently.* 



The Seal fishery offering no temptation for an early start, 

 and consequent greater outlay on the voyage, Capt. Gray, of the 

 ' Eclipse,' deferred his departure from Peterhead until April 20th, 

 with the intention of devoting his energies to whaling and 

 shooting old Seals; of the latter he obtained 700, and of the 

 former 7. Of the incidents of this voyage some account has 

 been contributed to these pages by Mr. Robert Gray ; there is no 

 need, therefore, for me to dwell upon this part of the subject. 

 In the Greenland Seas the 'Eclipse' and 'Erik' from Peterhead, 



■■• The disparity between the quantities of bone and oil as stated above is 

 certainly too gi-eat ; there is always a remarkably constant proportion of 

 one cwt. of bone to each ton of oil, and this holds good with Whales of 

 all sizes. The ' Traveller ' brought home from Ciunberlaud Gulf some Whale 

 oil which had been left out last season ; but in addition to this I think there 

 must be some inaccuracy in the reported quantity of oil ; possibly some of 

 the White Whale oil has been accidentally entered as Whale oil. 



