160 Records of the S.A. Museum - 



I learned that the animal was first noticed by the Misses Bockleberg, on 

 the foreshore of whose property it was stranded, when they thought it was 

 the hull of some wrecked vessel. The carcase was photographed by local 

 residents on the following day, and copies kindly handed to me (PL xxi) are 

 interesting in comparison with my own ( PI. xxii ), illustrating how soon the 

 plumpness of the body diminishes. A further idea of the "settling" process 

 may be gained by referring to the published picture of the New Zealand 

 whale taken two weeks after stranding ; in the case of the latter animal, 

 however, it had been dead a still longer time, as the baleen had rotted out of 

 the mouth ]3rior to stranding. 



After inspecting the animal there was no doubt as to the advisability of 

 attempting to secure the skeleton for the Museum. At the same time it was 

 obviously impossible to entertain the idea of salvage with the whale in its 

 then position. The cliffs, beetling above (PI. xxii, fig. 3), precluded the 

 possibility of \\-orking from the shore, for it is only at low tide that the bases 

 of the cliffs are exposed, and, as the shore itself is formed of jagged rocks 

 which have fallen from the faces of the clifi^s, no work could be attenijned in 

 such situation; moreover, if stormy conditions arose, the carcase would soon 

 be pounded to pieces in such situation, and as, at the lowest estimate, it would 

 take a month to recover the bones, the possibility of the sea remaining calm 

 for that period was altogether too remote. Then it had been suggested to 

 me that the oil would be valuable and that an eifnrt should be made to pre- 

 serve as much as possible. 



On the morning following the day ujion which I arrived I com- 

 menced the return journey, and on reaching Adelaide made arrangements for 

 having the carcase towed off the rocks and beached in a more suitable and 

 accessible situation. Difficulties were smoothed away by the kind offices of 

 the Marine Board, which permitted us to hire an official tug boat, with 

 master and crew. Having made necessary incjuiries when in the district, I 

 was advised that the carcase should be towed to Crawford's Landing, a 

 sheltered beach within Streaky Bay and four miles or so from the township 

 (Flinders) : sufficiently near to ensure economic working, yet far enough from 

 human habitations to disarm any possible charge of menace to health or 

 olfactory organ. It would appear, however, that some misunderstanding 

 arose, for the intention was not at once carried out. The actual towage of the 

 body was not without excitement and incident. I was not present, but am per- 

 mitted to quote from a letter written on September 30, 1918, by Mr. E. R. 

 Bayer, of the Harbours Department, 



