﻿On 
  the 
  Occurrence 
  of 
  Diatoms 
  on 
  the 
  Skin 
  of 
  Whales. 
  353 
  

  

  to 
  be 
  alffce 
  ; 
  No. 
  44, 
  female, 
  had 
  the 
  upper 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  pectoral 
  sulphureous 
  

   in 
  hue, 
  'apparently 
  from 
  algce, 
  which 
  also 
  are 
  frequent 
  on 
  underside'; 
  they 
  

   were 
  also 
  present 
  on 
  Nos. 
  42 
  and 
  43." 
  

  

  Although 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  evidence 
  to 
  show 
  what 
  further 
  use 
  Major 
  Barrett- 
  

   Hamilton 
  would 
  have 
  made 
  of 
  these 
  observations, 
  if 
  it 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  for 
  his 
  

   regretted 
  death 
  at 
  South 
  Georgia, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  assumed 
  that 
  they 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  

   same 
  facts 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  myself 
  noticed. 
  

  

  "^1 
  have 
  not 
  at 
  present 
  had 
  an 
  opportunity 
  of 
  making 
  a 
  microscopic 
  exami- 
  

   nation 
  of 
  similar 
  skin-deposits 
  in 
  other 
  species, 
  but 
  the 
  following 
  observations 
  

   suggest 
  that 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  a 
  superficial 
  investment 
  of 
  Diatoms 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  

   means 
  restricted 
  to 
  the 
  Korquals. 
  During 
  a 
  whaling 
  cruise 
  in 
  Orleans 
  Channel, 
  

   in 
  about 
  lat. 
  64° 
  S., 
  long. 
  61° 
  W., 
  the 
  " 
  Killer 
  " 
  (Orcinus) 
  was 
  excessively 
  

   abundant, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  coming 
  alongside 
  the 
  ship. 
  The 
  light 
  parts 
  of 
  

   all 
  that 
  were 
  close 
  enough 
  to 
  see 
  clearly 
  were 
  of 
  a 
  distinct 
  buff 
  colour, 
  

   sufficiently 
  pronounced 
  to 
  be 
  visible 
  even 
  while 
  the 
  animals 
  were 
  submerged, 
  

   and 
  closely 
  resembling 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  corresponding 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  Fin 
  Whale 
  

   and 
  Blue 
  Whale. 
  A 
  " 
  Bottle-nose 
  " 
  (probably 
  Hyperoodon), 
  killed 
  at 
  the 
  

   South 
  Orkneys 
  in 
  1915, 
  had 
  a 
  similar 
  colour, 
  probably 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  

   cause. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  noticed 
  this 
  colouring 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  Humpback 
  " 
  (Megaptera 
  

   nodosa). 
  This 
  might 
  easily 
  be 
  overlooked, 
  however, 
  since 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   these 
  animals 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  killed, 
  in 
  recent 
  years, 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  large, 
  

   and 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  have 
  been 
  almost 
  entirely 
  black. 
  

  

  The 
  same 
  colour 
  is 
  extremely 
  common 
  on 
  most 
  pieces 
  of 
  sea-ice, 
  at 
  

   water-level, 
  in 
  Antarctic 
  waters, 
  and 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  pronounced 
  on 
  icebergs 
  

   to 
  form 
  straight 
  and 
  wide 
  bands, 
  which 
  remain 
  in 
  situ 
  after 
  the 
  iceberg 
  has 
  

   tilted 
  to 
  another 
  angle. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  at 
  present 
  had 
  an 
  opportunity 
  of 
  making 
  

   a 
  microscopic 
  examination 
  of 
  this 
  material. 
  

  

  As 
  Diatoms 
  are 
  abundant 
  on 
  ice, 
  and 
  the 
  bauds, 
  presumably 
  formed 
  by 
  

   them, 
  have 
  a 
  similar 
  colour 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Diatoms 
  found 
  on 
  whales, 
  I 
  came 
  

   to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  the 
  colour 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  cause 
  in 
  both 
  cases. 
  

   The 
  whales 
  visibly 
  infected 
  are, 
  almost 
  without 
  exception, 
  very 
  fat, 
  a 
  

   condition 
  they 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  acquire 
  when 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  feeding 
  for 
  some 
  

   time 
  on 
  the 
  food 
  which 
  is 
  abundant 
  in 
  these 
  icy 
  waters, 
  and 
  from 
  which, 
  it 
  

   appears 
  to 
  me, 
  they 
  probably 
  receive 
  their 
  coating 
  of 
  Diatoms. 
  Indi- 
  

   viduals 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  Blue 
  Whale 
  and 
  the 
  Fin 
  Whale 
  are 
  abundant 
  that 
  

   look 
  extremely 
  clean, 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  usually 
  poor 
  in 
  oil. 
  I 
  have 
  long 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  them 
  to 
  be 
  new 
  arrivals 
  from 
  warmer 
  waters, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  evidence 
  

   to 
  show 
  whether 
  these 
  individuals 
  are 
  coated 
  with 
  Diatoms 
  from 
  other 
  seas. 
  

  

  I 
  early 
  saw 
  that, 
  should 
  these 
  Diatoms 
  from 
  whales 
  prove 
  to 
  correspond 
  

   with 
  those 
  on 
  sea-ice, 
  it 
  might 
  reasonably 
  be 
  anticipated 
  that 
  all 
  or 
  almost 
  

  

  2 
  F 
  2 
  

  

  