THE ORDER CETACEA. 35 



surface of the sea, can sink in the space of five or six 

 seconds, or less, beyond the reach of all human enemies. 

 Its velocity along the surface, perpendicularly, obliquely, 

 or downward, is the same. Hence, for the space of a 

 few minutes, they are capable of darting through the 

 water with a velocity equal to that of the fastest ship 

 under sail, and of ascending with such rapidity, as to 

 leap entirely out of the water : this fete they sometimes 

 perform as an amusement apparently, to the high ad- 

 miration of the distant spectator, but to the no small 

 terror of the inexperienced whaler. Sometimes the 

 whales throw themselves into a perpendicular posture, 

 with their heads downwards, rearing their tails high aloft 

 in the air, beating the water with awful violence. In 

 both these cases, the sea is thrown into foam, and the air 

 filled with vapours : the noise, in calm weather, is heard 

 to a great distance ; and the concentric waves, produced 

 by the disturbance on the water, are communicated to a 

 considerable extent. Sometimes the whale shakes its 

 tremendous tail in the air, crackling like a whip, re- 

 sounding to the distance of many miles. When it re- 

 tires from the surface, it first lifts its head, then plunging 

 it under water, elevates its back like the segment of a 

 spear, deliberately rounds it away towards the extremity, 

 throws its tail out of water, and then disappears. 



Whales descend to a great depth in the sea ; some 

 say a mile. Captain Scoresby says he harpooned one 

 that descended four hundred fathoms, at the rate of 

 eight miles per hour; and there are instances of these 

 animals having been drawn up by the attached line from 

 a depth of seven hundred or eight hundred fathoms (one 

 occurred in our voyage) and sometimes the jaw and 

 crown bones have been found broken by the blow struck 

 against the bottom. Many whalers are of opinion that 



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