1082 MR. 0RJAN OLSEN ON 



The dark patches whicli are sometimes found on the under side 

 are generally situated in the long furrows, or in the f um-ow at the 

 genital opening. 



OoGurrence and Capture. 



Bcdcenoptera bri/dei seems to be common everywhere along the 

 south coast of Africa. It is especially so in Saldanha Bay, 

 though also in Mossel Bay and near the Cape of Good Hope this 

 species is captured m rather large numbei's, and is often observed 

 from whaling steamers going along the S. African coast. 



In Durban B. brydel is compai'atively rare, but is occasionally 

 to be seen at all seasons of the year. The total number captured 

 from three whaling stations on the ISTatal Bluff during the season 

 1912 was only sixteen, of which one (captured eai-ly in November) 

 was only about 8 raetres long, and not fully developed. In 1911 

 six specimens were captured from Mr. Bryde's station in Durban. 

 Of these two wei-e taken on June 5th, one on the 14th, and one 

 on the 15th of the same month, one on October 10th, and one on 

 November 7th. In 1912 the following were caught from the 

 same station: — one on June 4th, one on July 18th, one on 

 Aug. 19th, and one on Nov. 15th. Some specimens were seen 

 but not pursued because, as the whalers told me, they wei-e 

 very shy and difficult to catch, and at the same time their value 

 was comparatively small. At Mr. Brj^de's whaling station 

 near Inhambane, Portuguese E. Africa (23° 30' S. 1.), £. hrydei 

 was very seldom seen, and only a single specimen of it was 

 captured. Farther to the north at Bazaruto Is. (21° 45' S. 1.), 

 where the floating factory " Mangoro " was stationed for two 

 months, B. hrydei was never seen. Bryde's whale therefore 

 geems to be a southern species, avoiding the warm waters of the 

 tropics, and it is therefore rare on the east coast where the hot 

 Mozambique current runs southward. 



Almost all the specimens of B. hrydei captured in Saldanha 

 Bay (33° S. 1.), wei-e found between this bay and Capetown, and 

 the whalers told me that this species was mvich more rarely seen 

 north of Saldanha. This fact is quite in accordance with the 

 experiences of Mr. Green, the manager of Storm Bull's whaling 

 station in Walfisch Bay. He considered the "seihval" to be very 

 rare along the coast of German S.W. Africa, and he had not 

 observed this species at all in "Walfisch Bay. 



I was somewhat surprised therefore when Capt. An dr. Inge- 

 brigtsen, who had been stationed with a floating factory at 

 Porto Alexandre, Benguela (15°45'S. 1.) for a couple of years, 

 told me that he had observed rather a large number of " seihval " 

 there. The same statement was made by Capt. L. Fredi-iksen, 

 who had seen many specimens of this whale outside Lobito Bay, 

 and single ones as far north as 7° S. 1. But when we remember 

 that a cold antarctic current runs along the west coast of Africa 



