1909. } ON THE WHALE BALAINA GLACIALIS. 91 
5. A few Notes on the Whale Balena glacialis and its Capture 
in Recent Years in the North Atlantic by Norwegian 
Whalers. By Prof. R. Cotter, F.M.Z.S8. 
{| Received December 12, 1908. | 
(Plates XXV.-XXVII.*, and Text-figure 5.) 
Whales captured 18S89-1908.—In our own day, the Nordkaper 
is not known to have been observed within the Norwegian area. 
Since 1899, however, Norwegians have intermittently carried 
on whaling of this species in the sea to the east of Iceland and 
round the Faroe Islands, the Shetlands and the Hebrides, where 
the Nordkaper has appeared almost every summer in small 
companies, or sometimes in large schools, 
In the course of twenty years, namely from 188% to 1908, Nor- 
wegian whalers have in this way captured about 80 of these 
Ww ha ales in the above-mentioned parts of the North Atlantic. 
The numbers in the different years have been as follows :— 
1889. In April the first specimen was taken on the European 
side of the Atlantic, to the east of Iceland. This was a 
female, with a total length of 43 feet (13°1 metres); the 
length of the head was 3450 mm. (thus being nearly one 
fourth of the length of the body). 
1890, Seven specimens were taken round Iceland; a skull of 
one of these (total length 3920 mm.) and some baleen 
being preserved in the Christiania. Museum. 
PSO lam all 10 specimens were killed off Iceland, several of them 
being caught about 50 miles to the west of that island. 
(Skeletons of these are in the Christiania and Bergen 
Museums.) One of them was a male, having a_ total 
length of about 47 feet (14:4 metres), the skull measuring 
3910 mm. in length, or rather more than one fourth of 
the entire length. of the body. Another was a female with 
a total length “of 43 feet (13:1 metres). 
1892. One specimen captured off the Faroe Islands. 
1894. Two specimens captured off Iceland. 
1897. Two specimens captured off Iceland, one of them Neh 
a female with a length of 46 feet (14 metr es). 
1898. One specimen taken near the Faroe Islands (a peuitite 
accompanied by a young one). 
1902. One specimen taken off Iceland. 
1903. One specimen taken off the Faroe Islands, and - three 
specimens off Iceland, four altogether. Among these 
* For explanation of the Plates see page 98. 
