Volume 16, Plate VII / Mammalia (Mammals)

Lesser Rorqual

Rorqualus Rostratus

Smallest of the rorquals, seldom exceeding twenty-five feet, with short white baleen, a rosy tint upon its throat folds, and an enormous pouch-like lower mouth holding a great volume of water. Very active and prized for its delicate flesh and oil, it frequents the rocky bays of Greenland in summer and the coasts of Iceland and Norway, feeding on Arctic salmon and other fish.