36 MARINE MAMilALS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN COAST. 



the following circumstances: A "pod" of whales was seen in the offing, by the 

 whalemen, from their shore station, who immediately embarked in their boats and 

 gave chase. On coming up to them they were found to be Finbacks. One was 

 harpooned, and, although it received a mortal wound, they all "run together" as 

 before. One of the gunners, being an expert, managed to shoot the whole five, 

 and they were all ultimately secured, yielding to the captors a merited ])y\zq. We 

 have noticed large numbers of these whales along the coast during the summer 

 months, and they seem to be more together at that particular season ; but, as the 

 opportunities for observing their habits have been much greater at that time of the 

 year, we may have been led into error upon this particular jDoint. Their food is 

 of the same nature as that of the other rorc^uals, and the quantity of codfish 

 which has been found in them is truly enormous. On the northern coast, the 

 Finbacks, in many instances, have a much larger fin than those in warmer lati- 

 tudes, and we are fully satisfied that these are a distinct species, confined to the 

 northern waters. 



We have had but little opportunity to observe the Finbacks that frequently 

 rove about the Gulf of Georgia and Fuca Strait. Several have been seen, however, 

 in May and June, on the coasts of California and Oregon, and in Fuca Strait in 

 June and July of the year 1864 ; these observations satisfy us that the dorsal fin 

 of this — the northern species referred to — is strikingly larger than in the more 

 southern Finbacks. 



Appended are the outlines of one individual of several seen in Queen Charlotte 

 Sound, in February, 1865, which is a fair representation of them all. Those we 

 have noticed about Fuca Strait seem to have the back fin modified in size between 

 the extremely small one found on the coast of Lower California and the one here 

 represented. 



