MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 577 



During my stay at Dhabool several hundreds of villagers, both from the 

 coast and inland, came to see the animal. They regarded it as a god, calling 

 it " Massa Dev," meaning fish-god. The local Fakir had established 

 himself well to the windward of the carcass, several incense sticks were 

 burning in front of it, more I think with a view to the gentleman's own 

 comfort than in homage to the deity. A sheet was spread out in lieu of 

 a collection bag and it was covered with copper coins and also offerings 

 of rice and cocoanuts. I noticed that a great number of these people were 

 Mahomedans. The prevailing idea among them was that treasure of 

 considerable value could be got by cutting open the stomach of the animal. 

 This was believed not only by the common folk but even by the Govern- 

 ment clerks. 



S. H. PRATER. 



Bombay Natural History Society's Museum, 

 5th December 1914. 



From time to time whales are stranded or washed up at no great distance 

 from Bombay, and these are reported to the Society by the Customs officials, 

 though so far we have not been succcessful in getting to the spot before the 

 animal has become decomposed and lost its colour. The colour of our large 

 Indian Fin Whale is still unknown, but perhaps some member situated on 

 the coast may be fortunate enough to see a freshly stranded specimen and 

 record notes on it. The specimen recorded above is apparently an imma- 

 ture great Indian Fin Whale {Baloinoptera indica) as this whale grows to 80 

 to 90 feet, according to Blanford. There is, however, at least one other 

 species of Balcenoptera, which has been recorded from the Indian region, viz., 

 B. edeni, but this is said to be a smaller species and is only recorded from 

 the Bay of Bengal. 



As was already reported in the Journal, Vol. XVII, a whale was washed 

 ashore at Bassein, a little north of Bombay, in the spring of 1906, 

 which was said to be 63 feet in length, but it was not reported to the 

 Society till nearly a week after stranding. In January 1911 another was 

 reported at Viziadrug, near Ratnagiri, and to examine this specimen 

 Mr. Crump, who had just joined the Society as Mammal collector, was sent. 

 On his arrival he found that nothing remained but the head and some of 

 the larger bones ; he was however able to secure some baleen. This whale 

 was reported by the Customs Karkun there, to measure about 70 feet from 

 nose *0 tip of tail in a straight line. Mr. Crump made a number of sketches 

 and took measurements of the bones lying about. 



In August 1912 a large Fin Whale was stranded at Ratnagiri, which was 

 reported to be 61 feet in length. The colour above was said to be " dark 

 grey in places almost black" and on the sides "lighter than on the top 

 with well defined stripes below the flippers." The underside was "light 

 grey in places almost white," while the tail and flippers were " almost black." 

 A photograph of this whale was forwarded and is here reproduced. 



Quite a number of whales seem to have been stranded about this time 

 and the remains of several of them were washed up on the Ratnagiri coast. 



Much valuable information in regard to the different species of Whales 

 would have been secured if it had been possible to preserve some of the bones 

 of these whales. It is, however, impossible to keep such large bones in the 

 Society's rooms ; and as there seems to be no prospect of a Natural History 

 Museum in Bombay, it .will be a long time before the species of Fin Whales 

 iound on this side of India can be satisfactorily determined, 



N. B. KINNEAR. 



