Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 2 (1898).djvu/109

Rh untoward weather, not the absence of Whales, which prevented their returning all "full ships." All three vessels bore up for home about Oct. 27th.

The total produce of the Whale fishery in the past season was 9 Right Whales and 772 Walruses, yielding 143 tons of Whale oil and 120 cwt. of bone. In addition to this the 'Alert' brought home from Cumberland Gulf station 3 cwt. of bone, the yield of a very small Whale of 4 foot bone, and 70 tons of oil, part of last season's catch; and the 'Perseverance,' which had wintered for three seasons at Rowe's Welcome, had the bone of three Whales (30 cwt.), and part of the oil (15 tons), the rest of the blubber having been lost. During her stay in Rowe's Welcome the 'Perseverance' got six Whales, the produce of the other three having been previously sent home by the Hudson Bay Company's ship 'Erik.' It is rather difficult to value this miscellaneous produce; but, taking the 228 tons of Whale oil at £18 per ton, or £4104, and the 153 cwt. of bone at £1600 per ton ("size bone," I am told, has been sold at £1800 per ton) or £12,240; the 772 Walrus hides at, say, £5 each, or £3860; and the ivory, which was light and mostly female tusks, at, say, £200, the total produce would represent a sum of about £20,404, as compared with £16,207 in the previous season.

The Norwegian Fin-Whale fishery, Prof. Collett tells me, is still flourishing, and several of the companies have also established themselves on one of the Faroes, where they are doing well. The Whales taken last year were for the most part Balænoptera borealis; also several B. sibbaldii and B. megaptera; but commonly B. musculus is the most numerous. The Cabot Whale-fishing Company, formed at St. John's to prosecute the Fin-Whale fishery after the Norwegian fashion mentioned in my last year's communication (p. 59), has not yet commenced operations, but is expected to do so shortly.

In my last notes on this subject (Zool. 1897), p. 58, fourteen lines from the bottom, for 'Arctic,' read 'Active.'

As on so many previous occasions, I have to tender my best thanks to Mr. David Bruce and Mr. Kennes of Dundee, and to Mr. Michael Thorburn, of St. John's, for their kind assistance.