. Discovery reports. Discovery (Ship); Scientific expeditions. 378 DISCOVERY REPORTS after the disappearance, from one or other cause, of the barnacle, there is left a greyish symmetrical pattern on the epidermis that cannot be mistaken for the scars caused by healed pits (Plate XXXVII, fig. 2). Pe7tnella grows very deeply into the blubber—much further than the depth of the pits—and affects the skin and blubber only immediately around its narrow "; Secondary infection of the open pits with Pejinella often takes place, but there seems no possibility that this parasite is respons
. Discovery reports. Discovery (Ship); Scientific expeditions. 378 DISCOVERY REPORTS after the disappearance, from one or other cause, of the barnacle, there is left a greyish symmetrical pattern on the epidermis that cannot be mistaken for the scars caused by healed pits (Plate XXXVII, fig. 2). Pe7tnella grows very deeply into the blubber—much further than the depth of the pits—and affects the skin and blubber only immediately around its narrow "; Secondary infection of the open pits with Pejinella often takes place, but there seems no possibility that this parasite is responsible for the formation of the pits either by its own activities or as a reaction on the part of the whale to these activities. It is true that Pennella may leave a scar of its own, but this is smaller and quite distinct from the scars left by the pits. There have been reports from the whalers at Saldanha Bay of fishes (apparently Myxinoids) occasionally attached ^'S- ^^^- Rod-shaped , , , _ r 1 rill bacteria in scar tissue, to the whales at sea. boon alter the capture or the whales the fishes were said to loosen their hold so that specimens were never taken. Myxinoid fishes can in fact be caught by hook and line in Saldanha Bay, though these are far too small to have caused the pits. In this connection Olsen (1913) remarks as follows: "A species of Myxinoid makes similar wounds in Bryde's whale, but I did not obtain specimens because they always leave the whale when it is dragged out of the water. I do not know whether they are to be found on the whale when alive or only after its death". There is no doubt that the wounds noted by Olsen at Durban are the "pits" under discussion. A very good illustration of them is given in his paper. He describes them as "fresh wounds with a length of as much as 10 cms. and 3-4 cms. deep, caused by parasites, generally Pennella''. It is probable that wounds caused by a sucking fish would show signs of the method by
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