224 A BOOK OF WHALES 



among whales, was rounded, as is shown in the 

 accompanying figure. (Fig. 30.) 



This species is gregarious, going about in herds 

 of from four to ten, rarely more, though Captain 

 Gray has recorded a herd of fifteen. The animal 

 is very unsuspicious, owing no doubt to the fact that 

 it has been until of late but little hunted ; the growing 

 scarcity of the Right whale has led to its being more 

 actively pursued, and it has been proved that the oil 

 derivable from the animal differs but little from that 

 produced by the Right whale. 



Another habit of this whale has proved its de- 

 struction ; a herd will never leave a wounded comrade. 

 Directly their companion is dead they move away, 

 but not until. They are extremely vigorous and hard 

 to kill ; a " Bottlenose " can not merely leap out of 

 the water that is a capability shared by many whales 

 -but it always takes the water on returning to it 

 head first, and can move its head while out of the 

 water. When harpooned this species has been known 

 to stay under for two hours. The young when born 

 seem to be about ten feet long ; at least a full-grown 

 foetus of this size was cut out of a mother twenty- 

 nine feet long. 



It is rather an unusual fact, but it is the case- 

 according to M. Bouvier* that in this species of 

 whale the females are more numerous f than the males. 



* In Ann. des Sci. Nat. (7), xiii., p. 259. 



t This statement is in direct conflict with that of Captain Gray, who 

 found that out of 203 individuals killed in a single season "ninety-six 

 were full-grown males, fifty-six cows, and fifty-one younger males." 



