CETACEA—LILLIE. N74 
7. Balaenoptera borealis, Lesson. (EL avails fio. 22) 
June LOS AUSTOT tom OL ONE OCA RO eee . One, travelling eastward. 
August AP ie es moO: 49°85 172 13! We ; . One. 
» fx ms 5 ob 2S, to DANG . One, small size. 
September 3, ,, . oom Dia Sel S24 Ol Hae . Travelling eastward. 
Seem = 382 46'S, Oa me a 
ie Ae 2) 395 21S. (84° 580 he. wet 
October oh ase ae 5 SP UE Shy WHS SP ae . Two adults, one calf. 
of ie ae OCS 18201 ike . ? One. 
5A Glas ; A Gf See Ollie Ao! sh ee . % Three. 
i De ss 43° 41'S., 156° 56’ BE. . . ? Several. 
22, 44° 95'S,,160° 3'E. . . One, 
We did not see any of these whales in the Antarctic. It is possible, however, that 
some of the larger specimens of the whales which we identified as Balaenoptera 
acutorostrata may have belonged to this species. We did not see any Antarctic 
whales which appeared to be between 37 and 55 feet in length. The specimens of 
B. acutorostrata usually varied between 20 and 32 feet in length. 
A few whales of about 37 feet were occasionally met with, and we regarded 
them as being large individuals of 4. acutorostrata. : 
On October 3, 1910, we saw two adults and a calf; their identity was 
beyond any doubt. The two adults were estimated at 50 feet long and the calf was 
20 feet long. 
Of the specimen seen on October 22, 1910, Dr. Wilson wrote: “I have no doubt 
in saying it was precisely similar in every respect to the North Sea LB. borealis, so far 
as appearance in the water goes.” An individual of this species was taken off the Bay 
of Islands, New Zealand, during my visit to the whaling station. This whale was a 
young female, 40 feet in length. (See Pl. VIL, fig. 2.) 
It will be noticed that this whale is depicted in the plate as bemg of a lighter 
colour than those which are usually described as blue-black. The colour was taken 
from a fresh specimen. The species of Balaenoptera, when freshly killed, are highter in 
colour than is generally supposed. The epidermis only becomes dark when the carcase 
is out of the water and exposed to the sun. The whalebone plates were black, with fine 
greyish white bristles on their inner edges. The bristles on the posterior third of the 
ranges were darker grey than in the anterior two-thirds, where some of the bristles 
were quite white. The delicate, silky nature of the bristles of the baleen-plates is 
characteristic of this species. The tongue was grey and pink. The palate was pink. 
This specimen agreed exactly with the descriptions of Northern members of this 
species.* Balaenoptera borealis is taken at the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, South 
America, South Africa, and New Zealand. It is said to be scarce at the South 
Shetlands, but it was seen on several occasions by the “ Belgica” near Graham 
* Collett, R., Proc. Zool. Soc., 1886, p. 243-265, Pls. 25-26. 
VOL. I. 
