THE FITNESS OF RIGHT WHALES 77 



on the frayed inner edges of the baleen plates, 

 collected by the slow raising of the fat and flabby 

 tongue, and then passed down into the narrow gullet. 

 Whatever a Cachalot may have done, no Right 

 Whale ever swallowed even a minor prophet. 



No one has yet got on terms of intimacy with 

 a Black Right Whale, but the general impression 

 seems to be that it is a gentle creature, only taking 

 the offensive when tormented. It may then break 

 a boat with the impact of its bonnet or bumper. 

 In illustration of its endurance Mr. Allen quotes 

 the case of a " sixty-barrel " Right Whale which 

 was struck early in the morning off Nantucket, and, 

 heading out to sea, towed a boat with six men in 

 it for seven hours, and eventually got free. It took 

 the men five hours' hard pulling to get home. Very 

 little is known of the breeding habits, but the 

 pairing seems to take place in early summer and the 

 birth in January or February. The length of the 

 newborn calf is about 20 feet. It is said to 

 accompany its mother for at least a year, being 

 weaned when between one and two years old. 

 There is no doubt as to the parental attachment of 

 the mother, for she will sacrifice herself in the 

 attempt to rescue her offspring, or in the refusal 

 to leave it even when dead. So far as is known, 

 the North Atlantic Right Whale has no natural 

 enemies, and they are not known to fight among 

 themselves. It is a long-lived, dumb, peace-loving 

 creature too gentle to survive man's frightfulness 

 for long. 



