1868.] OF THE GREENLAND SEAS. 537 



size of this split. The breadth and thickness of the laminse depend 

 upon the age of the animal. It is a common belief that the laminae 

 of whalebone in the female Whale are broader but shorter than in the 

 male. The colour of the whalebone likewise varies : in the young 

 the laminse are frequently striped green and black, but in the old 

 animal they are frequently altogether black ; often some of the 

 laminse are striped in alternate streaks of black and white, whilst 

 others want this variegation. AVhalebone is said to be occasionally 

 found white, without the animal differing in the slightest degree. 

 That bought from the western Eskimo in the spring is often whitisli, 

 because they have kept it lying about or steeped in water all the 

 winter. It also does not necessarily follow that because one whale- 

 bone brings a different price from another, the animals that produce 

 them are of different species. For instance, the whalebone brought 

 by the American whalers from Kemisoak (Cumberland Sound, or 

 Hogarth's Sound of Penny) used to bring a less price in the market 

 than that of the English whalers from Davis Strait, Baffin's Bay, 

 and Spitzbeigen, because it had lain exposed during the winter and 

 was accordingly worse prepared ; therefore, without at all under- 

 rating the importance of pressing every point into our service in 

 discriminating the different species of Balcenidai, as the whale- 

 bone is subject to so much variation, and undergoes so many 

 artificial changes before coming into the hands of the zoologist, I 

 think that we must proceed with the utmost caution in forming 

 species on the mere differences presented by isolated laminse of 

 whalebone*. 



The pectoral fins (or, more properly, swimming-paws f) are of a 

 darkish grey at the axilla, rounded superiorly and bevelled off infe- 

 riorly. The upper edge is arcuate in form, with a slight angularity 

 medially ; the inferior edge with the outline in a gentle sigmoid curve, 

 with the greater convexity of the curve anteriorly. The caudal ex- 

 tremity, if not the homologue, is undoubtedly the analogue of the 

 posterior extremities in other mammals. It is almost unnecessary 

 to say that the substance of the tail is non-muscular, though it has 

 been described as such in various publications, the only power 

 which it possesses being derived from the attachment of some of 

 the lumbar and other muscles in the extremity of the vertebral 

 column. A transverse section of the root of the tail shows: — 1, the 

 epidermis ; 2, the soft skin ; 3, the blubber, or a cellular substance 

 containing fat-cells ; 4, cartilage enveloping the tendinous cells ; 

 5, strong muscular fasciae, through which the tendons play ; 6, spinal 

 canal and vessels ; 7, spinal cartilages ; 8, blood-vessels ; and, 9, 

 synovial glands. A transverse section of the tail shows skin, 

 blubber, tendinous envelope, blood-vessels, and a central cartilaginous 



* Of late years whalebone has been bringing a better price than formerly, new 

 uses for it having been discovered. A large amount is now used to stiffen silks 

 by being woven into the fabric. By an old feudal law the tail of all Whales be- 

 longed to the Queen, as a perquisite to furnish Her Majesty's wardrobe with 

 whalebone (Blackstone's Commentaries, vol. i. p. 233, ed. 1783). 



t Fleming, ' Philosophy of Zoology.' 



