44 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



under peculiar circumstances, been known to occur as far south 

 as lat. 71° or 72°, which is the northern or summer limit to the 

 range of Balcena biscayensis. Scoresby also, like many others, 

 was greatly puzzled to reconcile with Ohthere's known accuracy 

 the supposed slaying of sixty "Whales" in two days by that 

 traveller and his companions — a fact so simple of explanation 

 when the passage recording the event is correctly construed 

 (see ' Notes and Queries,' s. 7, vi. p. 44 (1888) ). 



It is now clearly understood that the discovery of Balcena 

 mysticetus and the origin of the important industry which 

 followed was due to the discovery of Spitzbergen, then believed 

 to be part of the continent of Greenland, by Barants, in 1596, 

 and the subsequent visit of Hudson in 1607, three years after 

 which Thomas Edge commanded the first Greenland whaling 

 fleet fitted out by the British "Muscovy Company." In 1611 

 the Muscovy fleet came to grief, and a Hull vessel which " hap- 

 pened " to be in the neighbourhood rendered them assistance. 

 The honour therefore of being the first to initiate this important 

 and lucrative industry rests with London and Hull, and the date 

 of the event the year 1610 or 1611. 



At a much earlier date both Hull and Bristol had vessels out 

 at Newfoundland and the entrance to the Bay of St. Lawrence,* 

 but their main quest seems to have been Walruses and Seals, 

 and what Whales they killed were doubtless . the Southern 

 Atlantic species. Hull also sent vessels to Iceland and the 

 North Cape on the same errand as early as the year 1598. 

 Seeing the tenacity with which Hull clung to this exciting 

 industry, it might have been expected that Bristol would have 

 done the same, but I cannot find that such was the case. 

 According to Latimer's ' Annals of Bristol in the 18th Century,' 

 an attempt was made to establish a Whale fishery from that 

 port in the year 1752, and two ships were sent out and a third 

 in 1755, but after varying success the venture was abandoned in 

 1761. 



From Ireland also, about the year 1737, an attempt was 

 made to establish a Whale fishery off the coast of Donegal. A 



* Hakluyt records that in 1577 there were 315 vessels at the Newfound- 

 land fisheries, fifteen of which were English ; " there were also twenty or 

 thirty ships from Biscay, to kill whales for train oil." Quoted from Ander- 

 son's ' Origin of Commerce,' ii. p. 144. 



