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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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Reference :-
IC.O. 885
23 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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APPENDICES.
handwriting, the following pancilled note:-"? Close season in October and November. So far as South Georgia is concerned, the humpbacks have now ap- parently become so amall an item in the total annual catch of whales that, although the species is still the chosen quarry of the whalers when they can find it, and although the whalers are pretty certain not to welcome any restriction which may be put upon its chase, the fixing of a close season for this species should not entail any very serious financial loss to the whaling companies.
It is greatly to be hoped that (as urged by Lieutenant Strong in his report) no further concessions will be granted to the whalers for the present. In a letter to Dr. Harmer, dated 29th September, 1918, Major Barrett-Hamilton said :-"If it turns out that the same whales migrate from South Georgia to Gough, Nightin gale, and Inaccessible Islands, then the leasing of these islands might have a most disastrous effect on the whale herds. On the other hand, a careful leasing of these A lease for a very short period, islands might have the effect of preserving them." say for a single season, might afford an opportunity of procuring valuable informa- tion on the subject of migration.
The finner and blue whales are stated by the Stipendiary Magistrate in the notes attached to his 1912 report* (quoted at page 64) to be present at South Georgia throughout the year; among Major Barrett-Hamilton's general memoranda From the statistics given is a note to the effect that some of the finnars migrate.
above it would appear that no immature females were brought to Leith Harbour between mid-November and mid-January; that the immature males were all captured after 29th December; and that the length of the largest male caught during Major Barrett-Hamilton's stay amounted to no more than 88% of the length of the largest female, or from five to seven per cent. less than would be expected on the assumption that the relative sizes of the sexes are the same in the South Georgis finners as in those of the North Atlantic. In these facts may be discerned, perhaps, some evidence of the segregation of the finners in schools of similar individuals and of the migration of the herds. Mörch states that from a consular report: "It appears that great numbers of the finback whale congregate in the waters along the Brazil coast between South latitudes 12° and 18° every year during the period from May to November." (Op. cit., 665.) Captain Bryde informed Major Barrett- Hamilton that the finners go nearer to the equator than do the blue whales, but that they do not cross it.
In his letter of 12th January, 1914, to Dr. Harmer, Major Barrett-Hamilton said that he could not see any difference between the finners of South Georgia and those of the north. In his "Journal," under date 18th December, 1913, is the fol- lowing entry :-"Finners that are taken here are the large black or yellow form, which is known also in the North Atlantic and is said never to mix with the amall dark form. The small dark form was the one found by True at Newfoundland, us shown by his photographs. These two classes keep in different herds. Finnera are always scattered here in small lots: never in large schools, as they sometimes are in the north, where, for instance, Henriksent once met very many four hours north of Aberdeen."
With regard to the blue whales it will be noticed from the statistics above that between 15th November and 15th December the females appear to have been much more numerous than the males; that in the following month males were about 2 per cent. more numerous than females; that the immature females were twice as many as the immature males, and that the majority of the immature of both sexes were.cap- tured in the first fortnight of January. It may again be suggested that these facts afford some evidence of the segregation of similar individuals in distinct schools and of the general movement or migration of the species. It is not improbable that the blue whales found on the west coast of Africa, mentioned by Mörch as feeding on plankton, and all very lean, are migrants from the South Georgian region. Čap- tain Bryde told Major Barrett-Hamilton that he thought he once saw one off the east coast of South America "south of the Abrolhos Bank, near Rio, in about 220 South latitude. This was the nearest to the tropics that he ever saw one, and he believes that this whale does not usually go nearer to the equator than 35° North and South, and that it never crosses the line."
As noted by Major Barrett-Hamilton in his letters to Mr. Fagan and Dr Harmer, of 2nd December, 1913, and 12th January, 1914, respectively, the average
* No. 18 in Miscellaneous No. 278.
+[?:Hendriksen.]
APPENDICES,
60
size of the blue whale of South Georgia is considerably greater than is that of the corresponding form of the North Atlantic, and this difference affords some reason for thinking that there may be a subspecific distinction between the two forms.
The remarks made above in dealing with the humpbacks as to the need of further research upon dead whales at African whaling stations and observations upon the living whales of South Georgia and Africa apply with equal force to the species of Balanoptera.
The table at page 64 indicates that the serious decline in the numbers of the humpbacks is forcing the whalers to attack the finners and blue whales systematic- ally, and there is every reason to believe that the herds of these species will, in turn, rapidly diminish. The earlier and apparently longer sexual season will, it is true. probably enable these larger forms to withstand the attack better than the hump- backs have done. But this advantage is slight and the Finmark experience, to be discussed in my complete report, should serve as a grave warning against the un scientific and indiscriminate slaughter to which these animals are at present subject
MARTIN A. C. HINTON.
10th July, 1914.
NOTE. The further work done and literary discoveries made since this memo. randum was written have led to a modification of the views held in July, 1914, as to the time and place of the pairing of the humpbacks. In my complete report delivered herewith, the reduction of the numbers of the humpbacks is attributed principally to excessive slaughter, so far as South Georgia and the Antarctic stations are concerned. The interference by the whalers with the pairing animals (men. tioned in paragraph 5 of page 65 above) is a true and serious cause of this reduction also, but, as will be seen from the complete report* and its Appendix II., this cause operates probably rather in African waters than at South Georgia.
MARTIN A. C. HINTON.
22nd March, 1915.
16447
APPENDIX VII.
REPORT ON THE PAPERS LEFT BY THE LATE MAJOR BARRETT- HAMILTON, RELATING TO THE WHALES OF SOUTH GEORGIA.
(Received 1st April, 1915.)
I HAVE the honour to submit the following report upon the papers left by the late Major G. E. H. Barrett-Hamilton relating to the whales of South Georgia.
Major Barrett-Hamilton, a naturalist of great distinction, went to the island of South Georgia, a dependency of the Falkland Islands, for the purpose of making inquiries, on behalf of the Colonial Office and the Trustees of the British Museum, concerning the whale fishery carried on in that dependency during the season of 1913-1914. He arrived at the island on 10th November, 1913, and he stayed for a few days at King Edward's Cove discussing whaling matters with the Stipendiary Magistrate of South Georgia, Mr. J. Innes Wilson. On 15th November, 1913, Major Barrett-Hamilton proceeded to Leith Harbour, where he continued to reside, making a series of most careful observations upon the dead whales brought to the station of the South Georgia Company, Limited, until 17th January, 1914, when his labours were abruptly ended by death.
On 25th April, 1914, I had the honour of being appointed to examine and report upon the papers left by Major Barrett-Hamilton respecting his researches at South Georgia.
The papers placed before me were :—
(1) A bundle of small papers. (These proved to be rough field notes.) (2) A summary of measurements of whales (on blue ruled paper).
(3) Other papers with measurements of whales.
((2) and (3) were papers on which Major Barrett-Hamilton had com- menced to tabulate the measurements which he made at South Georgia, together with certain statistics relating principally to the Norwegian (Finmark) Fishery, 1884-1889, which he intended to use for comparative purposes.)
**
Appendix VII.