CO885-(23-24) — Page 218

APPENDICES.

111

EAB.

In a female (No. 73) the aperture of the ear was 2 in. long, and it was placed in a slit 6.5 in. long; "a finger could almost be inserted." In the female No. 33 the aperture was also about 2 in. long; in the male No. 89 the ear slit was 1 in. in length. In the female No. 15 the ear, after the removal of the blubber, appeared as

a round mass of gristle, like fat, with a hardly perceptible and minute hole."

EYE.

In the female No. 170 the eye-slit measured about 7 in. in length; the pupil was 1 in. across.

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FOOD.

Forty-one finners were examined as to the nature of their food. In the mouths or stomachs of 35 "kril," in varying quantities, occurred; in four, viz., Nos. 8 and 41, males, 4 and 15, females, the food was noted as "shrimps"; and in two, viz., Nos. 30, male, and 39, female, the stomach was empty. The absence of fish-eaters is noteworthy.

PARASITES.

Parasites appear to be rare. Among 184 finners examined Major Barrett- Hamilton records the presence of parasites in only nine cases. In four of these the parasite was "yellow algæ "; on one (No. 138) a Pennella was found; on another (No. 219), one Conchoderma with a barnacle attached; one (No. 275) had three Coronulæ; in one specimen alone (No. 178) were internal parasites detected, this having "tape-

which were kept.

worms,

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GENITALIA.

Males.

small

Major Barrett-Hamilton made few notes respecting the genitalia of the male finners examined at South Georgia. In the very young whales, Nos. 259, 242 and 248 (53 ft.-57.5 ft.), the penis is noted as

in No. 269 (585 ft.), a very young whale with thin blubber, the retracted penis had an approximate diameter of 5.5 in., and the same dimension is recorded of a larger specimen (No. 275, 63 ft.), described 28 a young whale with small penis": in these cases the diameter given may have been measured at the distal end of the organ, but no definite information is given as to this matter. In No. 243 (59 ft.) the basal or proximal diameter of the penis was about 1 ft., the length of the genital slit was 31 in., and that of the anus 8 in. In No. 21 (63-5 ft.) the testis measured 13 ft. by 06 ft.; of Nos. 36 (645 ft.) and 35 (72 ft. the largest male) it is noted that they "had either quite insignificant testes, or else I could not find them." The penis was about 8 ft. long in Nos. 172 (65-25 ft.) and 34 (68 ft.). No. 30 (66 ft.) had testis 19 ft. by 0-6 ft. In No. 58 (66 ft.) the testis measured 1.6 ft. by 06 ft.; the genital slit was 37 in. long, and was overlapped by the two mammary slits posteriorly for about 8 in.; the mammary slits were tightly closed and each was about 14 in. long: the sketch illustrating this note shows the mouth of the penis lying in the genital slit at a point opposite the anterior ends of the two mammary slits. In No. 32 (67-5 ft.), "a comparatively thick whale." the testis measured 22 ft. by 06 ft., and the length of the genital slit was 4 ft., or, including a posterior extension, 5 ft." In No. 41 (68 ft.) the testis measured 1.75 ft. by 0-5 ft., and "not fully grown male, cf. testes," was the

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comment of Major Barrett-Hamilton. The testis measured in No. 51 (88 ft.) 1.75 ft. by 06 ft.; in No. 19 (69 ft.) 24 ft. by 08 ft., and in No. 2 (69-5 ft.) 2 ft. by 075 ft. In No. 253 (69 ft.) the proximal and distal diameters of the penis were 24 in. and 10 in., respectively: the corresponding measurements in No. 256 (69-5 ft.) were 22 in, and 9 in. In No. 247 (71.25 ft.) the length of the genital slit was about 45 in., and that of each mammary slit about 12 in.

Females.

No. 79 (61 ft., 22nd December):-"Milk, nil; teats retracted; no mammary glands; ovaries 11 in. by 3 in., never used, reddish as if inflamed; uterus comparatively big; a virgin female older than a 66 ft. blue whale." This whale was killed from a herd of about 20 males," and her "genitals looked as if she ought to have bred, but she hadn't."

No. 282 (635 ft., 15th January):-"Obviously a young whale. Milk, nil; teats absolutely retracted, the mammary slits closed; clitoris just showing; contained a female fœtus 1 ft. 8 in. long." A separate note gives a sketch and dimensions of the external genitals, from which it appears that the genital slit was 4 ft. 8 in. long: of this the posterior 14 in. was occupied by the vagina, and was 54 in. wide behind; imme- diately in front was the clitoris: the breadth of the slit decreased anteriorly to 2 in. in front of the clitoris, and the two external lips of the slit came in contact at about 28 in. from the posterior margin, the anterior 27 in. of the slit being reduced to a longitudinal fissure The closed anus was 10 in. long; the mammary slits were separated by an interval of 10 in. anteriorly.

Milk, nil; mammæ not seen, mammary

111 (84.5 ft., 27th December) :-

glands small; genitals not examined."

124 (65 ft., 29th December):-"Milk, nil; mammæ very slightly protrud-

ing; carcase rotten."

195 (65 ft., 5th January) :-"Milk, nil; mammæ retracted; rotten car-

case." (See note to 197 below at p. 113.)

«

191 (655 ft., 5th January) :- Milk, nil; mammæ retracted.'

252 (66 ft., 12th January):- Milk, nil; mamma retracted. A compara-

tively thin (young) fish."

148 (67.75 ft., 31st December) :-

:-" Milk, nil; mammæ protruding; mam- mary glands well developed." Anus 9 in. long.

104 (68 ft., 26th December) :- Milk, nil; mammæ very slightly pro-

truding."

277 (68 ft., 14th January) :-"Milk, nil; mammæ retracted

with an

an ovary

enormous corpus luteum, 6 in. by 6 in., with scar, 2 in. by 3 in."; contained a female foetus 5 ft. 3 in. long. In a separate note a sketch of the corpus luteum and the ovarian scar is given.

204 (68-25 ft., 6th January) :—“Rotten carcase, moored.”

66 (68-5 ft., 20th December):-"Milk, nil; teats very slightly protrud- ing; one ovary not examined, the other with a large corpus luteum measuring 5 in. by 5 in., with a big scar; the foetus, although not found, must have been there, as indicated by the large uterus, its interior red, congested, and folded. This carcase was disembowelled and the skeleton cast off the slip to await its turn owing to press of whales. The guts were dragged right across the slip behind my back, so that the fœtus might easily have been lost."

278 (685 ft., 15th January):-"Milk, nil; teats not seen; enormous bag= 20 ft. to 25 ft. (uterus and one horn, the other horn smaller); con- tained a female foetus 7 ft. long."

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178 (68-25 ft., without mandible, 5th January):-"Big milk glands.

fresh whale, but carcase flensed when examined." 50 (69 ft., 13th December):- 'Milk, nil; mammæ retracted; recently impregnated for the first time.” A separate note says:-" A very interesting female. Uterus quite small. Ovaries, one with five or six corpora lutea, of which one was extra large, denoting recent impregnation; the other with one small corpus luteum and several graafian follicles.

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"Seven corpora lutea shed at heat-intervals of three weeks= twenty-one weeks-pairing for first time, say, 21st July; if at a month's interval then pairing took place first week of June. This ten- tatively fixes pairing season, and suggests age for foetuses found in the females. (These two ovaries kept and numbered 11 and 14). If this whale grew 1 ft. a month she would have been 7 ft. -less-69 ft. 7 ft. 62 ft. long when she shed her first ovum, which is about right." 119 (69 ft., 27th December):-"Milk, nil: mammæ protruding; genitals not examined." A male fœtus, 7 ft. 7 in., was dropped by one of the whales Nos. 111, 112, 114, 115, 116, 118, and 119. but the genitals of all these were not examined, and the foetus "cannot be connected with any particular dam.”.

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171 (69 ft., 3rd January) :- 'Milk, nil; mammæ retracted; genital slit,

13-5 in.; rotten carcase, moored."

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :--

CO 885

23 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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