Part 15

‘Seal and Herring Fisheries of Newfoundland,’ pp. 32-34, as quoted by Allen, l. c., pp. 551-3.

Land and Water, May 9th, 1874.

Great diversity of opinion, however, exists upon this point, the Dundee sealers considering that the fishery should open a few days earlier, and that a time should be fixed for its closing, in order that too great a number of the old Seals may not be shot. The young Seals grow with great rapidity, and even a few hours make a marked difference in their condition; it seems, therefore, of the greatest importance that a time should be fixed for the opening of the fishery, which will ensure the young animals being in as forward a condition as possible, and that the nursing mother should be spared. It is said, also, that, in consequence of the number of females killed while nursing, the old dog Seals are vastly more numerous than the females, and that positive good is accomplished by some of them being killed off. One opinion, however, seems universal, which is, that not much good has resulted, at present, from the close time.

The Seal of the Caspian Sea was described as a variety of Ph. vitulina, by Pallas, and as a distinct species, by Nilsson, under the name of Ph. caspica. It is, however, notwithstanding its abundance, very little known, and may, probably, prove to be more nearly allied to the next species. The yearly average of this species taken in for the six years ending 1872, as given by Schultz, is 130,000.

Proc. Zool. Soc., 1868, p. 402.

Journal of Anatomy and Physiology, 1870, p. 260.

‘Danish Greenland, its People and its Products,’ p. 123.

‘Mammalia of the Outer Hebrides,’ Proc. Nat. Hist. Soc. Glasgow, 1879, p. 95.

Ph. grœnlandica was the only Seal met with by the Austrian Arctic Expedition, in the Tegethoff in August, 1873, the ship then drifting in the ice in lat. 79° 31′, long. 61° 43′. Subsequently both this species and Ph. barbata were met with about North lat. 81°.

‘Seals of Greenland.’ Reprinted in ‘Manual and Instructions for the Arctic Expedition, 1875,’ p. 47.

A communication in Land and Water for Dec. 20, 1879, p. 524, signed “R. M.,” states that about the 20th of June, 1879, a Walrus was seen off the west coast of Skye. “He was seen lying on a rock near the shore, on a fine calm evening, near enough to remove all doubt as to the identity of the animal.... The huge tusks were quite easily distinguished.” On being disturbed, it is said to have rolled into the water, and swam a short distance to another rock, on which it was seen to climb; after a little time it again took to the water, and was seen no more. As no names are given, it is impossible to investigate this report, or to judge what degree of importance should be attached to it.

Cook’s Last Voyage, vol. ii. p. 458, edition 1784.

‘Some remarks on the Nat. Hist. of Franz Josef Land,’ by H. W. Feilden, F.G.S., &c.--a Paper read before the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists’ Society, Dec. 28, 1880.

Physalus, Benedenia, and Sibbaldius, of Gray, are now rejected, I believe, by Prof. Flower.

Zoologist, 1877, p. 360.

McCulloch’s Dictionary of Commerce.

Space will not permit of more than a passing reference here, but much information as to the rise and progress of the whale-fishery will be found in McCulloch’s ‘Dictionary of Commerce,’ article “Whale-fishery;” Scammon’s ‘Marine Mammals of the North-western coast of North America;’ Starbuck’s ‘History of the American Whale Fishery;’ Mr. C. R. Markham’s ‘The Threshold of the Unknown Region;’ Capt. A. H. Markham’s book above referred to; and above all in Scoresby’s excellent works, which have been extensively laid under contribution by nearly all subsequent writers--‘An Account of the Arctic Regions, with a History and Description of the Northern Whale-fishery’ (2 vols., 1820), and ‘A Journal of a Voyage to the Northern Whale-fishery,’ in 1822.

Blackstone mentions a curious old feudal law, to the effect “that on the taking of a Whale on the coasts, which is a royal fish, it shall be divided between the king and queen; the head only being the king’s property, and the tail of it the queen’s. ‘De Sturgione observetur, quod rex illum habebit integrum: de balena vero sufficit, si rex habeat caput, et regina caudam.’ The reason of this whimsical division, as assigned by our ancient records, was, to furnish the Queen’s wardrobe with whalebone”!--Blackstone’s ‘Commentaries,’ 1783 edit., vol. i., p. 223.

Owen, ‘Anat. of Vert.,’ iii., pp. 546 and 553.

Dr. Brown, in the paper before quoted, states that they couple from June to August, and bring forth in March or April. See also a note on ‘The Time and Manner of the Procreation of some Species of Whales,’ in the ‘Zoologist’ for 1845, p. 1161.

‘Recent Memoirs on the Cetacea, by Professors Eschricht, Reinhardt and Lilljeborg,’ edited by Prof. Flower, Ray Society, 1866.

‘Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist.,’ 1878 (11), p. 495.

‘Bemærkninger til Norges Pattedyrfauna,’ p. 100. (Særskilt Afryk af ‘Nyt Mag. for Naturvsk’) 1876.

‘Arctic Voyages of Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld,’ 1858-1879, pp. 51-2.

‘Geographical Distribution of Mammalia,’ by Andrew Murray, 1866, p. 211.

‘Natural History of the Sperm Whale,’ p. 28.

‘Geographical Distribution of Mammalia,’ pp. 211-13.

‘Transactions’ of the Zoological Society, viii., p. 203.