﻿NOTES 
  ON 
  THE 
  SEAL 
  AND 
  WHALE 
  FISHERY. 
  65 
  

  

  Finwhale 
  fishers 
  from 
  that 
  port 
  actually 
  met 
  with 
  a 
  "school" 
  of 
  

   five, 
  one 
  of 
  which., 
  a 
  male 
  68 
  ft. 
  long, 
  they 
  captured, 
  the 
  remain- 
  

   ing 
  four 
  making 
  their 
  escape. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Percy 
  Bicknall 
  has 
  been 
  good 
  enough 
  to 
  allow 
  me 
  to 
  avail 
  

   myself 
  of 
  the 
  inquiries 
  he 
  has 
  made 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  captures 
  of 
  Sperm 
  

   Whales 
  by 
  the 
  Iceland 
  and 
  Norwegian 
  whalers, 
  which 
  give 
  the 
  

   following 
  results. 
  No 
  dates 
  are 
  given 
  as 
  to 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  seen, 
  

   nor 
  the 
  precise 
  number 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  " 
  school 
  " 
  consisted, 
  but 
  one 
  

   letter 
  sets 
  it 
  at 
  thirty. 
  Mr. 
  Bicknall 
  believes 
  that 
  at 
  least 
  six 
  

   were 
  killed, 
  and 
  one 
  found 
  dead, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  following 
  dates 
  are 
  

   approximately 
  correct 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  June 
  '20th. 
  — 
  Two 
  out 
  of 
  a 
  numerous 
  herd, 
  in 
  lat. 
  63° 
  N. 
  One, 
  

   54 
  ft. 
  long, 
  taken 
  eighty-four 
  (or 
  twelve 
  Norwegian) 
  miles 
  S.S.E. 
  

   of 
  Beidarsfjord. 
  " 
  No 
  others 
  seen 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time." 
  

  

  June 
  21th. 
  — 
  One 
  taken 
  (two 
  or 
  three 
  others 
  seen), 
  lat. 
  61° 
  N. 
  

   This 
  is 
  probably 
  the 
  Bonas 
  Voe 
  individual. 
  

  

  July 
  1-kth. 
  — 
  One 
  taken 
  (two 
  others 
  seen) 
  in 
  lat. 
  63° 
  N. 
  

  

  August 
  14th. 
  — 
  One 
  taken 
  (alone), 
  same 
  locality 
  as 
  the 
  single 
  

   one, 
  on 
  June 
  20th 
  ; 
  length, 
  60 
  ft. 
  

  

  All 
  six 
  are 
  described 
  as 
  bulls, 
  mostly 
  adults. 
  They 
  seem 
  to 
  

   have 
  dispersed 
  in 
  the 
  deep 
  water 
  between 
  Iceland 
  and 
  Norway, 
  

   in 
  about 
  the 
  latitude 
  of 
  Trondhjem. 
  From 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  killed 
  

   on 
  20th 
  June 
  a 
  lump 
  of 
  ambergris 
  weighing 
  about 
  4£ 
  lb. 
  was 
  

   taken. 
  Mr. 
  Bicknall 
  tells 
  me 
  that 
  in 
  1898 
  a 
  Mincing 
  Lane 
  mer- 
  

   chant 
  had 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  ambergris 
  weighing 
  270 
  lb., 
  which 
  was 
  sold 
  

   in 
  Paris 
  for 
  something 
  like 
  85s. 
  per 
  oz., 
  or 
  £18,360. 
  The 
  price 
  

   of 
  ambergris 
  varies 
  considerably, 
  but 
  that 
  of 
  good 
  quality 
  averages 
  

   about 
  60s. 
  to 
  80s. 
  per 
  oz. 
  

  

  My 
  best 
  thanks, 
  as 
  usual, 
  are 
  due 
  to 
  my 
  obliging 
  corre- 
  

   spondents, 
  Mr. 
  Bobert 
  Kinnes, 
  of 
  Dundee, 
  and 
  Sir 
  Bichard 
  

   Thorburn, 
  of 
  St. 
  John's, 
  Newfoundland 
  ; 
  also 
  to 
  the 
  editor 
  of 
  

   the 
  St. 
  John's 
  'Evening 
  Herald,' 
  for 
  their 
  kind 
  assistance. 
  

  

  