﻿352 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  Occurrence 
  of 
  Diatoms 
  on 
  the 
  Skin 
  of 
  Whales. 
  

   By 
  A. 
  G. 
  Bennett. 
  

   With 
  an 
  Appendix 
  by 
  E. 
  W. 
  Nelson. 
  

  

  (Communicated 
  by 
  Sir 
  S. 
  F. 
  Harmer, 
  K.B.E., 
  F.R.S. 
  Received 
  June 
  10, 
  1920.) 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  my 
  official 
  duties 
  during 
  whaling 
  operations 
  at 
  the 
  South 
  

   Shetlands 
  and 
  the 
  South 
  Orkneys, 
  extending 
  over 
  four 
  seasons 
  between 
  191.3 
  

   and 
  1919, 
  I 
  have 
  observed 
  that 
  whales, 
  and 
  particularly 
  the 
  very 
  fat 
  

   individuals, 
  are 
  frequently 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  film 
  of 
  a 
  huffish 
  colour. 
  This 
  film 
  

   is 
  easily 
  removed, 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  excessively 
  dirty 
  conditions 
  under 
  which 
  

   whaling 
  is 
  carried 
  out, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  easy 
  matter 
  to 
  obtain 
  it 
  free 
  from 
  

   admixture 
  with 
  other 
  substances. 
  The 
  Blue 
  Whale 
  (Balmnoptera 
  musculns) 
  

   and 
  the 
  Fin 
  Whale 
  (B. 
  pJiyxalus) 
  are 
  species 
  which 
  are 
  often 
  thus 
  coated. 
  

   The 
  film 
  is 
  equally 
  thick 
  on 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  skin, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  easily 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  

   white 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  body. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  nearly 
  so 
  obvious 
  against 
  the 
  background 
  

   of 
  the 
  darker 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  skin, 
  where 
  it 
  may 
  easily 
  be 
  overlooked. 
  A 
  Blue 
  

   Whale 
  in 
  this 
  condition 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  whalers 
  as 
  a 
  " 
  Sulphur-bottom." 
  

  

  It 
  did 
  not 
  at 
  first 
  occur 
  to 
  me 
  to 
  investigate 
  the 
  cutaneous 
  coating 
  in 
  

   question, 
  but 
  on 
  examining 
  microscopically, 
  with 
  a 
  low 
  power, 
  a 
  portion 
  from, 
  

   a 
  Fin 
  Whale 
  killed 
  at 
  the 
  South 
  Shetlands 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  1918-1919, 
  I 
  

   found 
  it 
  to 
  consist 
  of 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  what 
  appeared 
  to 
  me 
  to 
  be 
  Diatoms. 
  

   When 
  fresh, 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  organisms 
  was 
  seen 
  to 
  contain 
  a 
  yellowish 
  speck 
  

   of 
  what 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  oil, 
  near 
  its 
  centre. 
  A 
  small 
  quantity 
  of 
  the 
  film 
  

   removed 
  later 
  from 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  a 
  Blue 
  Whale, 
  killed 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  locality, 
  

   proved 
  to 
  agree 
  closely, 
  in 
  its 
  microscopical 
  characters, 
  with 
  what 
  had 
  already 
  

   been 
  studied 
  in 
  the 
  Fin 
  Whale. 
  

  

  My 
  attention 
  has 
  been 
  called 
  to 
  certain 
  observations 
  recorded 
  in 
  the 
  

   papers, 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  whales 
  of 
  South 
  Georgia, 
  which 
  were 
  left 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  

   Major 
  G. 
  E. 
  H. 
  Barrett-Hamilton, 
  and 
  are 
  preserved 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  

   (Natural 
  History). 
  I 
  am 
  indebted 
  to 
  Mr. 
  M. 
  A. 
  C. 
  Hinton, 
  who 
  edited 
  these 
  

   papers 
  in 
  1915, 
  for 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  quoting 
  the 
  following 
  extracts 
  from 
  

   his 
  completed 
  Memorandum 
  on 
  the 
  subject, 
  which 
  was 
  printed 
  though 
  not 
  

   actually 
  published. 
  

  

  Under 
  the 
  heading 
  of 
  the 
  Finback 
  (or 
  Fin 
  AVhale) 
  Major 
  Barrett-Hamilton 
  

   stated 
  that 
  in 
  four 
  of 
  the 
  nine 
  cases 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  observed 
  parasites, 
  the 
  

   parasites 
  were 
  " 
  yellow 
  alga?." 
  Under 
  the 
  Blue 
  Whale 
  he 
  recorded 
  the 
  

   following 
  observations 
  : 
  — 
  ■ 
  

  

  On 
  nine 
  specimens 
  the 
  skin 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  ' 
  yellow 
  slime 
  ' 
  believed 
  

  

  