422 THE GREENLAND WHALE. 



masses of baleen are placed along the sides of the mouth for the purpose of aiding the Whale 

 in procuring its food and separating it from the water. 



The mode of feeding which is adopted by the Whale is as follows. The animal frequents 

 those parts of the ocean which are the best supplied with the various creatures on which it 

 feeds, and which are all of very small size, as is needful from the size of its gullet, which is 

 not quite two inches in diameter. Small shrimps, crabs and lobsters, together with various 

 mollusks and medusae, form the diet on which the vast bulk of the Greenland Whale is sus- 

 tained. Driving with open mouth through the congregated shoals of these little creatures, the 

 Whale engulfs them by millions in its enormous jaws, and continues its destructive course 

 until it has sufficiently charged its mouth with prey. Closing its jaws and driving out through 

 the interstices of the Whalebone the water which it has taken together with its prey, it retains 

 the captured animals which are entangled in the Whalebone, and swallows them at its ease. 

 The multitude of these little creatures that must hourly perish is so enormous, that the pro- 

 lific powers of nature would seem inadequate to keep up a supply of food for the herds of 

 W T hales that inhabit the Northern Seas. Yet the supply is more than equal to the demand, 

 for the sea is absolutely reddened for miles by the countless millions of living beings that 

 swarm in its waters. 



The Whale is an animal of very great vahie to civilized and to savage men. The oil which 

 is procured in great quantities from its blubber and other portions of its structure is almost 

 invaluable to us, while the bones and baleen find their use in every civilized land. To the 

 natives of the polar regions, however, the Whale is of still greater value, as they procure many 

 necessaries of life from various parts of its body, eat the flesh, and drink the oil. Repulsive 

 as such a diet may appear to us who live in a comparatively warm region, it is an absolute 

 necessity in these ice-bound lands, such oleaginous diet being needful in order to keep up the 

 heat of the body by a bountiful supply of carbon. 



Civilized beings, even though they may be living for the time in these northern regions, 

 find themselves almost unable to join in the greasy banquet which so entirely delights the 

 native palate. There are, however, some portions of the Whale which can be eaten without 

 difficulty, and are rather palatable than otherwise. The skin of the Whale, when properly 

 dressed, is of ebony blackness, and not at all attractive to the eye. But its flavor is quite 

 agreeable, and is said to bear some resemblance to that of the cocoa-nut. When prepared for 

 the table it is cut into little cubes like bla,ck dice. But the best part of the Whale is one that 

 would hardly be expected to form an article of diet, namely the portion of the gums in which 

 the roots of the baleen are still imbedded. The Tuskis call this substance their sugar, though 

 its flavor is very like that of cream-cheese. One traveller who had been obliged, through 

 motives of politeness, to take part in a native banquet, and who had been more than disgusted 

 by the very remarkable dishes which were brought to table, became quite enthusiastic on the 

 merits of Whale's skin and gum, acknowledging himself to be agreeably surprised by the 

 former, and calling the latter article of diet "perfectly delicious." 



The chase of the Whale, its dangers and its excitement, are too well known to need 

 description in these pages, and only as far as they form part of the animal's history will they 

 be noticed. 



In its character the Greenland Whale is inoffensive and timorous, and except when roused 

 by the pain of a wound or by the sight of its offspring in danger, will always flee the presence 

 of man. Sometimes, however, it turns fiercely upon the boat from which the fatal weapon has 

 been launched, and with a single blow of its enormous tail its only weapon has been known 

 to shatter a stout boat to fragments, driving men, ropes, and oars high into the air. It is a 

 very affectionate animal, holding firmly to its mate, and protecting its young with a fearless- 

 ness that is quite touching to any one except a whaler, who takes advantage of the poor 

 creature's natural affection to decoy the mother within reach of his harpoon. 



As far as is yet known, the Greenland "Whale produces only a single cub at a birth. 

 When first born, the young Whale is without the baleen, depending upon its mother for its 

 subsistence like any other young mammal. The maternal Whale keeps close to her offspring 

 until the baleen is grown, and does not forsake it until it is capable of supporting itself. The 



