Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 4 (1900).djvu/96

This page has been validated.
70
THE ZOOLOGIST.

killed without injury to the crews. The bulk of the Whales seen or captured were of good size, some of them very large.

The 'Balæna,' as already mentioned, was the only whaler in the Greenland Seas. After cruising in the usual resorts of the Whales and seeing only one, which she captured, Capt. Robertson made for the east coast of Greenland in search of Walruses, and there he twice met with the Swedish expedition under Dr. Nathrost, rendering what aid he was able in the fruitless search for Andrée. Here ten Musk Oxen were killed, and some valuable explorations made, which will be duly reported by Dr. Nathrost. Finally the 'Balæna' went round to Davis Strait, where she killed two other fine Whales off Coutts Inlet, making her cargo three Whales, ten Musk Oxen, eleven Bears, three Narwhals, and seven Walrus.

The 'Diana' was very successful, killing ten Whales, mostly in Lancaster Sound and Coutts Inlet. There was nothing remarkable in her voyage except her success, her cargo consisting of ten Whales, seventy-one Walrus, fourteen Bears, twenty-two Seals, and three Narwhals.

The 'Nova Zembla' also did well at the Davis Strait fishery, returning with eight Whales and nine Bears.

The 'Eclipse' left Dundee at the end of April, and killed her first Whale off Disco on the 19th of May. North of Melville Bay Capt. Milne visited an Esquimaux settlement—Tiganrock—obtaining news of Lieut. Peary; thence she crossed over to Eclipse Sound, which she navigated to its extremity, finding traces of Esquimaux and killing fifteen Reindeer; but, although she saw a considerable number of Whales, fortune went against her, and she only succeeded in capturing three (one very small), as already mentioned, and reached Dundee on November 14th, experiencing very wild weather on her homeward voyage.

The 'Esquimaux' also went to Davis Strait, but I am informed that her voyage was not entirely of a business character; as, however, she brought home two Whales, yielding 23 tons of oil and 21 cwt. of bone, in addition to forty Walruses, twenty-three Bears, and sundry seals, worth some £2000, the produce would go a long way towards paying the expenses of the trip.

Two other vessels left Dundee, the 'Active' and the 'Polar