APPENDIX I 
cation, but is occasionally confusing owing to the variation in shape 
in some of the species. 
With the exception of several schools of porpoises very few 
whales were seen during the outward voyage. Not till we approached 
the Falkland area did they appear in any numbers. Four small 
schools of fin whales and a few humpbacks were sighted on October 
28 and 29, 1914, in lat, 38"^ 01' S., long. 55° 03' W. and in lat. 
40"" 35' S., long. 53^^ IT W., while Globicephalus melas was seen 
only once, in lat, 45° 17' S., long. 48° 58' W., on October 31, 1914. 
At South Georgia the whales captured at the various stations in 
December 1914 were blue whales, fin whales, and humpbacks 
(arranged respectively according to numbers captured). .During 
the fishing season 1914-15 (from December to March) in the area 
covered — South Georgia to the South Sandwicli Islands and along 
Coats' Land to the head of the Weddell Sea— the records of whales 
were by no means numerous. Two records only could with certainty 
be assigned to the humpback, and these were in the neighbourhood 
of the South SandAvich Islands. Pack-ice was entered in lat. 59° 55' S., 
long. 1 8° 28' W. , and bh;e whales were recorded daily until about 05° S. 
Between lat. 65° 43' S., long. 17° 30' W., on December 27, 1914, and 
lat. 69° 59' S., long. 17° 31' W., on January 3, 1915, no whales were 
seen. On January 4, however, in lat. 69° 59' S., long. 17° 36' W., 
two large sperm-whales appeared close ahead of the ship in fairly 
open water, and were making westward. They remained sufficiently 
long on the surface to render their identification easy. Farther 
south, blue whales were only seen occasionally, and fin whales 
could only be identified in one or two cases. Killers, however, 
were numerous, and the lesser piked whale was quite frequent. 
There was no doubt about the identity of this latter species as 
it often came close alongside the ship. From April to September 
(inclusive) the sea was frozen over (with the exception of local 
" leads "), and whales were found to be absent. In October whales 
again made their appearance, and from then onwards they were a 
daily occurrence. Identification of the species, however, was a 
difficult matter, for the Endurance was crushed and had sunk, and 
observations were only possible from the ice-floe, or later on from 
the boats. The high vertical spout " opening out into a dense 
spray was often visible, and denoted the presence of blue and fin 
whales. The lesser piked whale again appeared in the "leads" 
close to our camp " floe, and was easily identified. An exceptional 
opportunity was presented to us on December 6, 1915, when a school 
of eight bottlenose whales (Hxjperoodon rostraius) appeared in a 
small "pool" alongside "Ocean" Camp in lat. 67° 47' S.^ long. 
52° 18' W. These ranged from about 20 ft. to a Httle over 30 ft. in 
363 
