SEALS AND WHALES OF TILE BRLTLSH SEAS. d^ 



Reinhardt thus summarise the distinctive characters of the " Sletbag," 

 " Sarde," or " Nordkaper," so far as they have been able to glean from all the 

 sources accessible to them, and consider the species identical with their 

 B. biscaycnsis : — 



1. "That it was much more active than the Greenland Whale, much quicker, and more 



violent in its movements, and, accordingly, both more difficult and more dangerous 

 to catch." 



2. "That it was smaller (it being, however, impossible to give an exact statement of its 



length), and had much less blubber. '' 



3. "That its head was shorter, and that its whalebone was, comparatively speaking, much 



thicker, but scarcely more than half as long as that of the Greenland Whale, being, 

 however, still much longer than that of even the very largest Fin-Whale, although the 

 'Sletbag' itself probably scarcely attained to half the length of the last named." 



4. "That it was regularly infested with a Cirriped belonging to the genus Coronula, and 



that it belonged to the temperate Northern Atlantic as exclusively as the Greenland 

 Whale belonged to the icy Polar Sea, so that it must be considered as equally 

 exceptional when either of these species strayed into the range of the other, and, 

 moreover, that in its native sea it was to be found farthest towards south in the 

 winter (namely, in the Bay of Biscay, and near the coast of North America, down to 

 Cape Cod), while in the summer it roved about in the sea round Iceland and between 

 this Island and the most northerly part of Norway,"* 



In addition to the British Right-Whales mentioned at the commence- 

 ment of the previous article, which may almost with certainty be referred to 

 this species, I am enabled, through the kindness of my friend, Captain David 

 Gray, of Peterhead, to record two other instances of the occurrence of the 

 Atlantic Right-Whale in British waters. With regard to the first case, 

 Captain Gray was good enough to obtain for me the independent testimony 

 of two old men, James Webster and John Allan, both of whom are still living 

 at Peterhead, and were witnesses of the events which they relate. The two 



* 'Recent Memoirs on the Cetacea, by rrofessors Eschricht, Reinhardt and Lilljeborg,' edited 

 by Prof. Flower, Ray Society, iS56. 



H 



