662 



ME. J. A. MORCH ON 



with the same result. The floating factory, which was going to 

 play such an important part in the development of modern 

 whaling, became hereby an established fact; and in October 1905 

 this same vessel, together with two whahng steamers, was dis- 

 patched to the Falkland Islands and South Shetland. Upon the 

 vessel's successful return with a nearly full cargo of oil in June 

 1906 the ice was broken ; and now followed with intense activity 

 the fitting out of a number of floating factories, as also of build- 

 ings and appliances for the erection of land stations in various 

 localities in the Southei-n Hemisphere. 



Text-fig. 160. 



Floating factory and whaling steamer in harbour, Deception Island, 

 South Shetland ; with floating carcases of Humpbacks. 



From the southern coasts of South America, South Shetland, 

 the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, the coasts of South Africa, 

 and Kerguelen Island, whaling is now being prosecuted with an 

 ever-increasing number of whaling steamers and with returns of 

 oil undreamt of only a few years ago. 



The species which are principally hunted are the Humpback 

 Whale {2Iegaptera boops), the Blue Whale {Bcdcenoptera sibbaldii), 

 and the Finback Whale {B. muscidus) ; and, in one locality (the 

 Falkland Islands), the "Seihval" or Rudolphi's Whale (5. horealis), 

 which also occurs on the coast of Chili and the west coast of 

 South Africa without having been actually hunted there yet. 



