and petroleum for whale oil. But the disappearance of sperm and right whales meant only a lull in whaling. There were still whales too fast and powerful for hunting with sailing ships and rowing boats. Power craft and harpoon guns and explosives ushered in a new era with the last and largest of the baleen whales as a prey. This time it was Norwegian enterprise with a rapid spread, until to-day we have a multinational fleet involved, not to mention an international problem. In the long history of this particular form of destructive exploitation the idea of conservation has made a very late appearance. Zoologists always were handicapped by inability to study the life-history, habits, and ecology of whales, and for the most part contented themselves with anatomical studies. The main credit for a revolution in this attitude must go to the British Government Interdepartmental Committee, which in 1924 set up the Discovery Committee with adequate funds for an investigation—funds derived appropriately enough from national revenue from the whaling industry. The work proceeded slowly for methods had to be pioneered; but it was sound because somebody was far-sighted enough to recognise that the problem was fundamentally one of ecology, that is, it was not only facts about life-history and migrations that were required, but the way in which these were related to food supply and physical conditions. Facts about life-history soon were forthcoming and they proved unexpectedly significant—whales matured more rapidly than had been supposed and their breeding life under existing conditions was short. Migration data took a little longer to assemble, but they showed that stocks could be isolated and estimated. The environmental data opened a huge field of oceanography, and so far is only tentatively applicable to the original problem, but that was to be expected. The total data, however, have been of direct application to the problem of conservation and have influenced many of the international regulations for whaling. So far this outline has disclosed a satisfactory picture of science in conservation; but some qualifications must be added. The conservation clauses in international agreements have still to be fought for. The main burden of pressing for them in conferences still falls on representatives of the Discovery Committee. Many of the other delegations have not even a biological adviser in attendance, and this has applied to, amongst others, the New Zealand representation at all the conferences (there have been four in 10 years). We have also, by the way, a seat on the Discovery Committee which never has been usefully availed of. All this may seem unimportant; but I would remind you that our local whaling industry, small as it is, is able to operate on a protected species of whale because of a concession clause for shore stations inside the prohibited area for humpbacks. It offers an almost unique opportunity for biological studies on a migratory stock of humpbacks—studies which would make a real contribution to a world problem, a contribution that we should be prepared to make. As far as pelagic whaling in concerned, the post-war conferences have agreed to a relaxation of restrictions formerly deemed a