8 



540 MR. R. BROWN ON THE CETACEANS [NoV. \'2, 



ft. in. 



Length of sulcus of mammse 3 



Breadth of sulcus, on each side of it 2 



From tuberosity of humerus to point of pectoral fin 8 



Greatest breadth of fin 3 11 



Depth of lip (interior of lower) 4 7 



From the inner canthus of eye to extreme angle of fold of 



mouth o 1 5 



From inner to outer canthus 6 



Length of block of laminae of baleen, measuring round the 



curve of the gum, after being removed from the head . . 16 6 



Length of longest lamina on each side 10 6 



Distance between the lamina at the gum 



Breadth of pulp-cavity of largest lamina I 



Average length of pulp when extracted from some of the 



largest laminae 5 



Number of laminae on either side, about 360. 



The length along the curve of the back and other measurements 

 desirable to have been taken were not able to be made out, from the 

 position of the Whale, as it was suspended in the water alongside. 



(y) Habits ^c. — The Right Whale is a gregarious animal, being 

 generally found in small " schools" of three and four, but when 

 travelling from one part of the ocean to another they will sometimes 

 collect in large parties. I am told by my friend Dr. James M'Bain, 

 R.N., that about tliirty years ago he witnessed an extraordinary mi- 

 gration of this nature a little to the south of Pond's Bay. The 

 Whales to the number of several hundreds passed north in a conti- 

 nuous flock, and a few days afterwards were succeeded by an even 

 still more niunerous herd of Walruses. The numbers of the latter 

 were beyond all computation ; hour after hour did they travel to the 

 northward, never pausing to feed, but all seemingly intent on reach- 

 ing the opening of Lancaster Sound. A few days subsequently not 

 one was to be seen, as previously there had been no signs of their 

 presence. This was undoubtedly a very rare scene ; and the ques- 

 tion which must suggest itself is, where could such a number of 

 these huge animals have come from ? The Whale is capable of tra- 

 velling at a very fast rate when irritated by wouuds or impelled by 

 fear of its enemies. I was told by the late Capt. Graville, of the 

 screw whaler ' Diana,' a proverbially experienced and truthful man, 

 that a Whale was struck near the entrance of Scoresby's Sound, on 

 the east coast of Greenland, by the father of the late Dr. Scoresby 

 (with whom Mr. Graville was a fellow apprentice) ; but being lost, 

 it was killed next day near the entrance of Omenak fjord, on the 

 west coast, with the harpoons freshly imbedded in its body. This 

 was adduced in proof of the existence of an inlet in former times (as, 

 indeed, represented on the old maps) across Greenland between 

 these two points. Unless the whole story was founded on a mis- 

 conception (an event less Hkely from the searching investigation 

 which took place at the time), we can scarcely believe that the Whale 



