THE ORDER CETACEA. 47 



METHOD EMPLOYED TO CAPTURE THE WHALE. 



" The Almighty, having created man in his own image, gave him 

 power and dominion over all the living creatures he had made, and 

 to subdue them according to his several wants and necessities." — 

 Gen. i. 26—28. 



Having described the zoological peculiarities of the 

 baits' na mysticetus, it will perhaps not be deemed unin- 

 teresting to the reader if I give a concise detail of the 

 manner in which these leviathans of the deep are cap- 

 tured, and thus rendered subservient to the wants of 

 man. 



The first object is of course to fit out a vessel suited 

 to the trade, and able to encounter the vicissitudes to 

 which she becomes exposed in these dreary and in- 

 hospitable regions. During the periods when the whale 

 was captured in the bays, or on the margins of the icy 

 fields, very slight vessels were sufficient ; but as soon as 

 the adventurous spirit of the whalers began to arrive 

 in these seas at a very early period of the season, and 

 make their way into the midst of immense tracts of 

 floating ice and icebergs, it became important to protect 

 the ships against the severe shocks and concussions to 

 which their situation rendered them liable. 



To effect this, a ship should be built in such a man- 

 ner as to possess a greater degree of strength than ordi- 

 nary. The exposed parts, which are generally at the head 

 and bow of the vessel, should be secured with double and 

 even with treble timbers ; and likewise fortified externally 

 with large iron plates, also internally with powerful 

 stanchions and crow-bars, so disposed as to cause the 

 pressure on any one part to bear upon, and be support- 

 ed by the whole fabric. These vessels are not copper- 

 bottomed, as is the case with those engaged in the 



