MISCELLANEA, 39 



MISCELLANEA. 



Note on the Beluga catight at the mouth of the Tyne. 



By Alexander Meek, M.Sc, F.Z.S. 



The capture of a White Whale or Beluga, Delphinapterus 

 leucas, Pall., in our district is an event of some importance, 

 seeing that the species has not hitherto been recorded south 

 of the Forth. The Forth specimen was obtained in 1815, but 

 further north in Scotland and on the west coast the Beluga 

 has been stranded or captured pretty frequently. The local 

 specimen was captured at the South Shields sands on the 

 morning of June loth, 1903, in the nets of the salmon fisher- 

 men. The whale was observed by the fishermen after he had 

 approached close to the shore, and they at once made the 

 attempt to surround him with their nets. Three nets were 

 brought into use, and he was ultimately entangled in one of 

 them. Two ropes were fastened to his tail, but he was able 

 to tow the two boats some four miles to sea before he was 

 exhausted. The carcase was landed at the Fish Quay, North 

 Shields, and sold to Messrs. Relph and Hall. It is gratifying 

 to be able to say that these gentlemen, with a public spirited 

 generosity which happily is not rare on Tyneside, have pre- 

 sented the skeleton to the Hancock Museum. 



The thanks of the Society are due also to Mr. W. H. Young, 

 F.Z.S., who, recognising the importance of the capture, put 

 himself to a great deal of trouble to obtain the photograph 

 which is here reproduced, and to Mr. Robinson by whom the 

 photograph was taken. 



Mr. E. P. Witten, B.Sc, obtained the following measure- 

 ments : — Length, 14 feet 2 inches; girth, 7 feet 8 inches; the 

 gape measured 12 inches; and the eye, which had a longi- 

 tudinal diameter of i inch, was placed about 4 inches behind 

 the angle of the mouth. 



My absence from home at the time prevented me seeing 

 the specimen until the second morning after its capture, and 

 by that time the skin had been removed and the dissection 



