THE FiNWHALE FISHERY. 323 



Capt. Hoff captured eleven male Common Korquals ; lengths 

 in Norwegian feet (= 1 ft. 0£ in. English) :— 63, 62, 63, 62, 55, 

 45 (young), 56, 56, 57, 66, 64 : average 59 ft. Fifteen females ; 

 lengths:- 67, 67, 64, 62, 68, 67, 63*, 67, 63, 67*, 64, 64, 64*, 

 66, 68: average 65 J ft. The three marked * contained foetuses. 

 I am not sure that the above are in their right order, but that is 

 unimportant. On May 23rd a foetus was found of 50 centimetres 

 in length ; it was sent, preserved in salt, to Professors Walter and 

 Kuchenthal, of Jena, who were then at Vardo ; on July 5th, a foetus, 

 4 ft. Norw. ; and on August 8th, a foetus 10 ft. long. The Common 

 Rorquals were obtained between April 3rd and August 22nd. 

 Capt. Hoff's only Blue Whale during the season was a female, 

 killed August 20th, 74 Norw. ft. long, and containing a foetus 

 15 ft. long, nearly fully developed, with about two inches of 

 blubber on its body, but without the least trace of oil. Three 

 Rudulphi's Rorquals, killed August 5th and 6th, were females of 

 49 and 44 Norw. ft., and a male of 49 ft. The only Humpback, 

 a female of 40 ft., was killed August 14th. On his passage north, 

 Capt. Hoff noted three medium-sized examples of this species 

 inside Magero sound, on March 24th ; and on the 25th two small 

 examples, about an English mile off the land by Sletnses (near 

 the Nord-Kyn). He saw no large number of whales together 

 during the whole season. 



Two other companies are proposing to try Iceland next year, 

 and Capt. Gron (with the ' Skjold' and * Vaerge') is removing his 

 factory from Busse Sund, Vardo, to Ingo, near Hammerfest. 



At the Paris Exhibition, Kommandor Svend Foyn took three 

 gold medals, and the Finmarken Co. a silver medal, for their 

 whale products, as I am informed by Capt. Sorensen, but I know 

 no further details. Capt. M. C. Bull, of Sorvaer, has manufactured 

 extract of meat from whale-flesh, which is said to be equal in 

 quality to " Liebig." 



Capt. Castberg, of the Christiania Co., manufactured 1853 

 sacks of guano, and Capt. C. Sorensen, of the 'Falken' Co., 

 2400. I do not know the produce of the other guano factories. 



I did not go to the northern part of Norway last year, and 

 saw no Cetacean life in my passages across the North Sea. 



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