ON BELMULLET WHALING STATION. 149 
meat-flenser, who strips the meat from the bones, the whole of the 
meat being taken off in four strips—two on each side. The ventral strip 
on each side consists of the meat overlying the ribs, and the dorsal 
strip of the main layer of meat lying along the vertebrae. Finally the 
meat-flenser cuts up the backbone, separating the vertebree very neatly. 
The whole of the meat and bones in pieces of workable size is raised 
by elevators and tipped into boilers. 
With regard to the boilers, the blubber-boilers are open, but those 
in which the meat and bones are put are closed, so that in the latter 
Fig. 1.—Flensing Knife (approx. ;1, nat. size). 
the pressure of the steam helps to extract the oil, which is relatively 
less plentiful in the meat and bones than in the blubber. A diagram- 
matic sketch of a blubber-boiler is shown in fig. 2. 
The blubber is given three successive boilings, the duration of 
which varies, the average being about eight hours each. After each 
boiling the contents of the boiler are allowed to settle, and the oil is run 
off into vats. On the third boiling the boiler is closed at the top and 
the steam allowed to press the contents to ensure all the oil being 
extracted. Finally all the fat disappears and only the dark-coloured 
