WHALE ASHORE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 13 August 1928, Page 6

WHALE ASHORE.

MANY VISITORS TO MANAIA BEACH. A large crowd of curious and interested sightseers gathered at the beach at the end of the Normanby Road, Manaia, yesterday afternoon to view the stranded whale which was found on Saturday, as announced in the ‘‘Star” Sports Edition, by Mr. E. SBennett, whose farm overlooks the beach at- this point. At 3 p.m. the crowd numbered approximately one hundred and fitty'persons, whilst upwards of forty motor vehicles were parked on the cliffs above the beach. Measuring 46ft. in length, 41ft. across the flukes, and 16ft. across the tail, the huge mammal lay on its back, head towards the cliffs, at about half-tide mark. The stranded cetacean is evidently of trie “smooth” variety (Balaena Australia), to which family the Greenland or “right” whale belongs, and is identified by its smooth skin and the fact that it has no dorsal fin, which Is a characteristic of the humpback and finner whales, representatives of the “furrowed” species. Valuable oil rs outained from tne blubber, a thick coating of fat which lies immediately, under the skin, sometimes to a depth of 10 to 15 inches. This fat is stripped off, and, after being rendered down (a process called trying-out), is strained into barrels and is of great commercial value. Th(e. baleen tor whalebone forms the triangular plates imposed in the upper palate of the huge mouth, their function being that of acting as a sieve or strainer in straining off the water inhaled into the mouth, and of retaining the minute organisms and other small fry upon which these animals chiefly exist. These plates of baleen are must sought after, and the average weight is about seven pounds. Its value varies greatly, sometimes reaching as much as £3OOO

per ton. Ambergris, which is sometimes found on these coasts, is a grey fatty substance formed in the intestines of the whale, and is usually vomited when the animal is "badly frightened or in its death throes. It can be identified by its greyish colour, containing veins resembling marble j and its peculiarly pleasant smell, which makes it very valuable as an ingredient in perfumery. It is estimated that the stranded whale will furnish approximately two tons of oil, which may be worth something in the vicinity of £6O.