160 
Average for all Speci- Average for all 
Average for all 
REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE.—1912. 
TasLe Il.—Balenoplera musculus (L.). 
Average for 
mens of both Sexes / Females Males Mature Females 
No. Length No Length No. Length No. | Length 
Ft. in. | | Ft. in, | / Ft. in. | Ft. in. 
63 0 | 21 64 3 | 25 | 62 5 20 | 
(72 ft., sex unknown) 
(51 ft. 6 in. and 43 ft., 
BY fait Maldes Males | Maximum | Maximum Minimum Minimum | 
aoe 1oh eure Sales) ror tamales | for Males for Females for Males 
/ No. Length ! Length Length Length Length 
Ss 
Ft. in. | Ft. in. | Ft. in. Ft. in. Ft. in. 
23 63 2 (asda, 0 68 9 43 53.3 
| 
sex unknown) 
ak 
Cocks’s observations at the Norwegian whaling stations give an 
average length of 63 feet 54 inches for all specimens of both sexes. 
This is obtained from 186 individuals. The corresponding figure given 
in Table IT., viz., 63 feet obtained from 53 individuals, agrees very 
closely with this. It must be remembered that the whalers do not 
attempt to capture any whale under 40 feet, in length. The average 
total length for this species as captured in Newfoundland waters in 
1899, 1900, and 1901 collected by True *® is 59 feet 14%, inch, con- 
siderably less than either of the figures given above. 
As regards the average for all females, Cocks gives 64 feet 14 inch, 
deduced from 105 Norwegian captures. This again compares very 
closely with the corresponding figure in Table IT., viz., 64 feet 3 inches. 
The figure obtained by True from 15 Newfoundland captures is 
62 feet 3} inches,** which is also smaller than for European specimens. 
We find exactly the same thing when we consider the males. Cocks 
gives 62 feet 7 inches as the average from 81 captures; the figure 
in Table IT. being 62 feet 5 inches; and the corresponding measure- 
ment for Newfoundland being 57 feet 1,4, inches (True). True gives 
65 feet and 70 feet 8 inches as the maxima for Newfoundland males 
and females respectively. 
These are both well below the corresponding figures in Table IT., 
bearing out True’s conclusion that the European Balenoptera musculus 
appears to be larger than the individuals from Newfoundland waters. 
For the corresponding minima True gives 53 feet 9 inches and 
50 feet 7 inches for Newfoundland males and females respectively. 
In this case the minimum given for males in Table IT. is smaller 
than True’s figure. We cannot draw any conclusion from this, how- 
ever, as individuals of this length are certainly immature. 
In deducing the average lengths for mature males and females I 
have followed True in taking Cocks’s figure of 55 feet 7 inches as repre- 
senting the minimum for mature individuals of both sexes. The 
** True, Smithsonian Contrib. to Knowledge, vol. xxxiii., 1904, p. 115. 
*" True, op. cit., p. 115. 
