128 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE.—-1914. 
II.—Numbers and Species taken at the Blacksod Bay Station in 1913. 
The number of whales taken in the 1913 season was sixty-four, 
as has been stated. Of these fifteen were brought in previous to our 
arrival; we therefore examined forty-nine. Five species came under 
our notice, in the following numbers :— 
Finners (Balenoptera musculus, LL.)  . . «© »« «© « |. 387 
Blue Whales (B. sibbaldti, Gray) . - . «© «© «© «© « 4 
Sejhval (B. borealis, Lesson) .  . sot, et Ae eras Gee 
Humpback (Megaptera longimana, Rud. Dito: | See eet ea oe aE 
Sperm Whales (Physeter macrocephalus,L.). . . . . «. 6 
Of the fifteen taken before June 26, eleven were Finners and 
four Sperm Whales. 
ILI.—Measurements and Proportions. 
(See Tables at the end of this Report.) 
In continuing the series of measurements adopted by Burfield, 
who followed True,* we found that in some cases it was not easy to 
determine the points from which measurements were taken, within 
six inches or a foot. We therefore fixed on a series of standards 
which enabled us to make measurements from corresponding points 
on every whale. These points I attempt to define as follows :— 
(1) Total length. Taken between a position opposite the end of 
the upper jaw to a point opposite the notch between the flukes, in 
a straight line. When, as in the case of our first two whales, and 
in the cases of those taken before our arrival, we obtained the Norwegian 
measurements, two points had to be observed: (a) that Norwegian 
feet are equal to 12} English inches; (b) that the Norwegians measured 
to the tip of the lower jaw, which projects beyond the rostrum, and 
therefore an allowance must be made for this in reducing to “ total 
length’ according to our standard. THighteen inches was the allow- 
ance made, and this was probably erring on the side of taking off 
too little rather than too much. 
(2) Tip of snout to anterior end of the groove between the spiracles. 
This line is quite sharply marked. 
(3) Tip of snout to posterior insertion of pectoral fin, This 
measurement and the next were taken on the dorsal side of the animal. 
(4) Tip of snout to posterior imsertion of dorsal fin. This fin 
slopes away behind as well as in front. The ‘ posterior insertion ’ 
was therefore found in the following manner—a line being dropped 
from the apex of the dorsal fin, at right angles to the body, the 
point where it cut the outline of the body was taken as the posterior 
insertion of the dorsal fin. Apart from this method I do not think 
that any point of equal value in every specimen could have been 
found. 
(5) Tip of snout to centre of eye. 
(6) Centre of eye to anterior end of auditory slit. 
(7) Notch of flukes to posterior end of anus. 
(8) Notch of flukes to anterior margin of umbilicus, which was 
the most definite border of that area. 
3 Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, vol. xxx. 
