488 CURRENTS AND WHALING. 



posed that a ship could hardly miss finding the animals. Such, how- 

 ever, is not the case. A vessel may visit all these places, and yet 

 return home a "clean ship," if she happened to be out of season. It 

 appears from experience that whale's in their migrations congregate in 

 the above-named places at certain times of the year, and those who 

 are acquainted with the business endeavour to be early on the cruising- 

 grounds. I shall now point out the times, according to the best infor- 

 mation, at which the whales visit the several grounds, and although 

 not a whaler, T hope to give such information as may be useful to this 

 adventurous class of my countrymen. 



For convenience of description the cruising-grounds may be con- 

 sidered as included within four distinct sections or belts. 



These belts are from twenty to twenty-five degrees of latitude in 

 width. 



The first of which I shall speak is that between the equator and the 

 northern tropic ; the second, between the tropic and latitude 50° N. ; 

 the third, between the equator and the southern tropic ; and the fourth, 

 between the southern tropic and latitude 50° S. 



Within the tropics, whales are almost always to be met with. There 

 are, however, particular places within this zone where they chiefly 

 congregate. Whales are found in the first belt on the north side of 

 the equator, to the southward of the Sandwich Islands, and thence 

 westward as far as the Mulgrave Islands, for the greater part of the 

 year; but the only spot or space they are known to abound at any 

 particular season within this belt, is to the westward of the Gallipagos; 

 they pass and repass over the rest of this space in their migrations, and 

 may generally be found near to, or around the small islands. 



In the second belt, they range from the coast of Japan to the north- 

 west coast of America, and California; this they frequent from May 

 till November. In the month of July they are found off the Bonin 

 Islands, and between them and the coast of Japan. They frequent the 

 space lying to the northward of the Hawaiian Islands, and compre- 

 hended between the parallels of 28° and 35° N., and within the meri- 

 dians of 145° and 1G5° W., from June to October; and resort to the 

 northwest coast of America in August and September; and to that 

 of California in November and January. 



The third belt comprises the ocean from the coast of South America 

 to theKingsmill Group, including the Marquesas, Society, and Friendly 

 Islands, the Samoan and Feejee Groups. Within these are the spaces 

 known as the "on shore and off-shore grounds." The latter the whalers 

 frequent from November to February, and along this third belt they 

 are found until the months of July and August, by which time they 



