THE OKARITO WHALE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 October 1908, Page 1

THE OKARITO WHALE.

| A UNIQUE CARGO. g The coastal steamer Jane Douglas arrived in port on Monday afternoon > with a general cargo, including fifty = tons of skeleton of the whale which ; was stranded on the beach a few miles north of Oknrito and which was prepared for shipment by Messrs E. G. Stead aiid party, of Christchurch. But little difficulty was experienced in shipping the huge bones, some weigh- ( ing several tons apiece, at Oharito , despite the lack of loading facilities. i Naturally to load the "skeleton" was a somewhat difficult task, and some of i the large bones had to bo carried on deck. There is still one bone—the crown—to be brought up from Okarito and this will be shipped next tune the Jane Douglas visits the port, The necessary arra;n<{/ments have been made with the Union Company to tranship the bones to Lyttelton. Some doubt lias been exnressed as to the accuracy of the statement that the Okarito whale is the largest whale known to have existed. Mr Waifc, the curator of the museum, says that as far as the accepted records show the statement is quite correct. It has been asserted however, that in South Kensington Museum there is a whale nearly 90ft long. The "Guide" to the museum shows that the large sperm whale there is 50ft and a specimen of blue whale, which is the same species as the Okarito whale, is only 52ft, The most nuthoritive work on (he subject, Professor Beddard's "Book on Whales" states that the blue whale is the largest whale, and that its limit is 80 or 85 ft, "It is an unquestionable fact," Professor Beddard says, "that no creature known to science ever existed which was larger than the largest whale." Further evidence is supplied bv Sir W. P. Lower and Mr Richard Lydc]<ker, who state the "blue whale,'the largest of all animals, attains a length of 80 or even sometimes 85ft," As to the allegation that in the Jardin des Plantes at Paris there are two skeletons claimed to be 90ft long. Mr Waite points out that if the statement was correct the fact could hardly have escaped the notice of three of the most eminent writers on zoology of the day who are not likely to make unqualified assertions without ample ] grounds. ( The Okarito whale, with its 87ft., i therefore holds the premier position, t