THE ZOOLOGIST 



No. 864.— June 15th. 1913. 



WITH THE WHALERS AT DURBAN, AND A FEW 

 NOTES ON THE ANATOMY OF THE HUMP- 

 BACK WHALE (MEGAPTERA BOOPS).* 



By Thomas B. Goodall, F.R.C.V.S., F.L.S. 



(Plate I.) 



Theke is some difficulty in getting out in the whaling 

 boats : neither the captain nor the crew care to be troubled with 

 strangers, and for many reasons, the first being that no one but 

 a very good sailor could stand the rough-and-tumble of these 

 small boats on a rough sea without being unwell. When they 

 are after a Whale none of them has time to look after a sick 

 person, while, as the steamers have only the flimsiest of bulwarks, 

 anything might happen to one in the throes of mal-de-mer ; so 

 they do not care to take the risk. Again, a too inquisitive 

 person is apt to be getting in the way at a critical time in the 

 shooting or securing the Whale. 



I was fortunate in having made the friendship of a gentleman 

 who held a large number of shares in one of the whaling com- 

 panies. With the usual urbanity of the colonist (and really I 

 received nothing but kindness from all during my long stay in 

 South Africa), he was not satisfied to give me only a note of 

 introduction, but went down himself and gave me a personal 

 introduction to the captain of the ' Urnau,' and also to the 

 manager of the factory, and I was thus not only welcomed on 

 the steamer, but every facility was given me to see the cutting up 

 of the Whales, and with the able assistance of Mr. Imeson, Jun., 



* This species has been previously referred to in these pages (1909, 

 p. 54) as Megaptera longimana. 



Zool. 4th ser. vol. XVII., June, 1913. r 



