NOTES ON THE SEAL AND WHALE FISHEBY. 89 



yielded 46 tuns of oil and 60 cwt. of bone, the latter largely in 

 excess of the average, as is generally the case with very large 

 Whales, the ordinary proportion being about 1 cwt. of bone to 

 each tun of oil. 



The ' Esquimaux,' after returning from Newfoundland, as 

 already stated, proceeded to Davis Strait, where she killed her 

 first Whale in Pond's Bay on July 9th, and a second on the day 

 following. On the 14th of the same month a larger Whale was 

 killed, but it was not till Sept. 23rd that another was harpooned. 

 This was in Coutts Inlet; but it unfortunately broke away, 

 carrying with it three hundred fathoms of line. Thereafter the 

 weather was too stormy for fishing, and the ' Esquimaux ' 

 returned with three small Whales, yielding 20 tuns of oil and 

 20 cwt. of bone. This, with the sealing venture, constituted a 

 very fair season's return. 



The ' Diana ' was the most fortunate vessel of the fleet. 

 During May fifty-four Walruses were secured at the south-west 

 fishing ; on July 7th she killed her first Whale, and before the 

 end of the month she had two others on board. A fourth was 

 killed in Coutts Inlet on Sept. 9th, and two others on the 23rd 

 of the same month. After encountering frightful weather, the 

 ' Diana ' arrived at Dundee with 6 Whales, 54 Walruses, and 24 

 Bears — yielding 76^ tuns of oil and 77 cwt. of bone. 



The ' Nova Zembla ' killed her first Whale in Coutts Inlet on 

 Aug. 11th — a fine fish of 11 ft. bone — and on the 23rd of the 

 same month an even finer fish of 12 ft. bone ; but a third to 

 which she fastened unfortunately broke away, and was lost. Her 

 catch was 2 Whales, 12 Walruses, and 4 Bears — producing S8^ 

 tuns of oil and 41 cwt. of bone. 



The ' Active ' visited the station in Hudson Strait (see Zool. 

 1900, p. 71), where she found all well. One small Whale had 

 been killed on June 10th, also a number of Walruses and Bears. 

 In all she brought back with her 28 tuns of oil, 7 cwt. of bone, 

 327 Walruses, and 76 Bears. 



The season of 1900 will long be remembered by the Davis 

 Strait whalers as one of the most stormy within the experience 

 of the oldest hands, and this was rendered the more tantalising 

 from the fact that fish were in plenty ; but it was impossible to 

 send the boats away, and even when this could be done the ice 

 hampered their movements, or enabled the Whales to escape. 



