92 Observations upon Whales 
Notes regarding female: a few short, white hairs present on lower 
lips in two rows. Coloration, above dark grey with slate coloured 
patches, fewer on head ; lower surface coloured like the upper, except 
for a few white patches near the navel. Mamme protruding and 
quantities of milk flowing from them. 
BALENOPTERA BOREALIS, Less. Rudolphi’s Rorqual or Seihval. 
Plate XVI. 
Measurements of a male captured at Durban on 20th August, 1914: 
feet inches 
Total length from tip of snout to notch of tail ... a as, 45 0 
Tip of snout to posterior insertion of dorsal fin... ai Kae G32 
Tip of snout to anterior inserticn of dorsal fin ... ae Se SO) 4! 
Tip of snout to eye centre __... ae TEE ne oa Se! 
Tip of snout to blowhole Me i BE es 8 0 
Tip of snout to anterior insertion of pectorals ae wis aah uae Gt 
Tip of snout to axilla an oe Sa ek Baa IG @ 
Vertical height of dorsal fin... $3 see ac aus 1S 
From notch of flukes to anus ... ae Ao a 556 12510 
From notch of flukes to root of penis ... ac aa os 150) 
From notch of flukes to navel.. id i oe ZA 
Length of pectorals from head of humerus 6910 
Length of pectorals from posterior insertion aa me a (0) 
Depth of caudal peduncle at insertion of flukes Gh EPs Ds 
Depth of flukes at root ib De 
Length of dorsal fin ... 7 
Length of orifice of eye 34 
Length of iris 1$ 
Notes. Coloration, very dark grey with irregular patches of white 
on various parts of body. Form, very slender. A few short white 
hairs on point of lower jaw. 
In view of the fact that in describing Balenoptera bryder,* Mr. 
Orjan Olsen stated that Balenoptera borealis “had been only known 
until then as inhabiting the eastern parts of the North Atlantic,” and 
appeared to infer that all the so-called “seihvals” obtained in South 
African waters were Balenoptera brydei, I was led to write him on 
26th January, 1915, as follows, regarding the above whale: 
“T am puzzled about the identity of a whale which was captured 
by the Premier Whaling Company last August and which the 
whalers said was a “‘Seihval.” You will see from the sample of 
whalebone I am sending that it is not Balenoptera brydei. It 
* Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1913, p. 1073. 
