6i4 



THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [Vol. XXXVIII. 



spout. The outline he makes retort -shaped; and the whole is- 

 directed slightly backward. Both these authors add that their 

 observations were made in calm weather with a smooth sea. 



Not until 1903 have there been published any actual photo- 

 graphs of the larger whales alive and free in the open ocean. 

 The first published photographs of this nature appear in the 

 report on the Cetacea of the Antarctic expedition of the 

 " Belgica." These represent the Humpback whale {Mcgaptera 

 nodosa) and the Sulphur-bottom {^Balceiioptcra uiusculus) in the 

 various positions assumed during their appearance at the surface 

 of the ocean, and were taken by Dr. E. G. Racovitza and Dr. 

 F. A. Cook, in 1898. Only one view is shown of the spout, 

 and this is so indistinct as to be rather unsatisfactory. Later 

 in the year 1903, Dr. F. W. True (:03") published some very 

 excellent photographs of Finback whales {Balcenoptera physalus) 

 taken from the bow of a whaling steamer off the east coast of 

 Newfoundland. These views show very well the appearance of 

 this whale in its various postures following the spouting, until 

 its final plunge. No photograph of the spout itself was ob- 

 tained, however, so that it seems worth while to publish a few 

 views of spouting whales obtained by the present writer a few 

 months ago. 



Through the courtesy of Mr. Alexander McDougall, manager 

 of the Newfoundland Steam Whaling Company, I had the privi- 

 lege of visiting the whaling station at Rose-au-Rue, in Placentia 

 Bay, Newfoundland, during the second week of September, 

 1903. A number of interesting observations were made at this 

 time and a valuable series of photographs was secured, some of 

 which are reproduced here. 



Four species of rorquals are taken on the Newfoundland 

 coast : the Humpback {Megaptcra 7iodosa), the Sulphur-bottom 

 {BaUenoptcra vinsculns), the common Finback {B. physalus), and 

 the Pollack whale (/?. borcalis) or, as the Norwegians call it, the 

 "Sejhval." True (:o3) was the first to record the presence of 

 the last named species on this side of the Atlantic, on the basis 

 of four specimens taken at the Rose-au-Rue station during the 

 season of 1902. The steam whaling industry at Newfoundland 

 is one of recent origin, having been established in 1898. Accord- 



