CO885-(23-24) — Page 231

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

19

Reference :-

། ། ། ། ། ། mmimmim C.O. 885

23 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

196

APPENDICES,

From this table it will be seen that in most respects the agreement of the bodily proportions of the blue whales of South Georgia with those of their representa- tives in the North Atlantic is a close one. A few points deserve notice.

Dimension 6.-The distance between the tip of the snout and the centre of the eye averages less than in the northern specimens; this difference is most appar- ent on comparing the Newfoundland measurements with those from South Georgia. The average value of dimensions 6 and 7 is slightly greater in the females than in the males at South Georgia.

Dimension 8.-The distance between the tip of the snout and the axilla averages distinctly less than in northern blue whales and particularly less than in those from Newfoundland; the latter, however, include many young animals; and, further, the differences shown in the table may in part be due to the difficulty of finding a fixed point in the axilla for the measurement.

Dimension 11.-The distance between the notch of the flukes and the anus averages a little less at South Georgia than in the north, and the value of the southern dimension shows a considerably greater range of variation. This greater variability may possibly be explained by the fact that Major Barrett-Hamilton measured to the centre of the anus, while many of the northern measurements were probably made to its posterior margin. On the other hand, such a difference in the mode of measurement may partially mask or obliterate the apparent difference in the average value of this dimension in the two regions.

Dimension 12.-The distance between the notch of the flukes and the centre of the penis averages about 5 per cent. longer than the corresponding measurement to the clitoris in both the southern and the northern blue whales. In the southern whales the average length of dimension 12 in both sexes is slightly less than in the northern specimens.

Dimension 13-Correspondingly the distance between the notch of the flukes and the navel averages slightly less than in the north.

As in the north the dorsal fin is placed well behind the anus (cf., dimensions 11 and 14): the height of the fin is similar in the south and in the north. There is no apparent difference in the pectoral fin, although its length and breadth aver- age a little less in the females of South Georgia than in the males.

COLOUR,

The colouration does not appear to differ from that of North Atlantic specimens. The following are the notes left by Major Barrett-Hamilton :—

Males.

No. 26:

-“Colour usual (very) blue; white under flippers; penis slate also." 29:-" Usual colour; flippers white beneath." 216-

"White spots (small) on underside."

20 42:

Females.

'Blue all over, mottled lighter below; some white under pectorals.” -"Deep blue; irregularly blotched and mottled with white on pleats and underside; underside flippers white: underside flukes blue." 55 and 85:-" Colour usual."

BALEEN.

Major The whalebone resembles in colour that of the northern blue whales. Barrett-Hamilton noted that in No. 137, a male, 91 ft. long, "the anterior plates are represented by bristles. A little farther back these bristles seem to be united into plates; at least the plates, on being cut across, give this impression." In No. 258, a male, 78 ft. long, "the anterior bristles number about 8+8 rows of about 10 bristles each. Externally they gradually become plates, and the fourth lateral (ie., the twelfth from the anterior centre) might be styled a true plate." The remainder of the information collected at South Georgia may be tabulated as follows:-

APPENDICES.

Number.

Length.

Length

Number of Plates.

of Berles.

Dimensions of Longest Plate without ** Hair "; Length with "Hair" in ()

87

137

Length

of Anterior Bristles

Males:-

266

258

ft. 75.25 78

ft. in.

in. 80

in.

310 x 2 (plus numerous posterior "hairs" and bristles)

26

4 (12)

263

83

29

Females:-

292

279

68 66.75

42

73

16 9 (curved)

390 x 2

28 (83) by 16

267

82.5

20 0

298

85.5

-

281

20

90 91

21 0 (nearly)

HAIRS.

Males.

21 20

...

29

29 (36-41) by 15

No. 229 (66 ft.) :-"Beard of about 41 hairs in four irregular rows." 266 (75-25 ft.): -"Beard of 30 hairs in four irregular rows." 246 (80-5 ft.):-

:-"Beard of about 28 hairs."

Females.

No. 279 (66-75 ft.):-" Beard about 23 hairs in two rows.

rows.

Head hairs in four

255 (73-5 ft.):-"Beard of about 41 hairs in four irregular rows, the two

central the best developed."

157 (89 ft.): -"Beard of 28 (about 1 in.) hairs in two irregular lines."

20 (91 ft.): Same hairs as finner on head."

THROAT-PLEATS,

In a young male, No. 29 (64 ft.), there were about 60 throat-pleats; in No. 246 (80-5 ft.) there were "about 44 long ones; extra small ones run up on the mandible and between the eye and pectoral." A sketch of the region around the gape in a female, No. 267 (825 ft.), shows six short pleats running backwards from the gape, and below them six others running from the hinder part of the mandible. large female, No. 85 (94 ft.), the number of long pleats was 20×2=40.

FOOD.

In a

Two males and eight females were examined as to the nature of their food. In one young male, No. 26, the stomach was empty; the stomachs of the remaining nine whales were found to contain larger or smaller quantities of "kril."

PARASITES.

Parasites appear to be very rare upon the blue whales at South Georgia as upon those of other regions. A man found a Pennella upon the male No. 246 (805 ft.). On nine specimens the skin was covered with a yellow slime" believed to be alga; No. 44, female, had the upper side of the pectoral sulphureous in hue, 'apparently from alge, which also are frequent on underside "; they were also present on Nos. 42 and 43.

GENITALIA.

Males.

In the small blue whale, No. 29 (64 ft.), the penis was about 8 ft. long; in No. 187 (91 ft.) its length was only 7 ft. 6 in.; the diameter of the penis of No. 258 (78 ft.) was 11 in. One of the testes of No. 26 (78 ft.) measured 1 ft. 11 in. by

10 in.

138

APPENDICES.