196* THE NATURAL HISTORY OF 



in a south-westerly direction. The possession of King- 

 George's Sound, to the southward of the Swan River 

 settlement, affords us immense advantages and facilities 

 for carrying on these lucrative branches of industry, as 

 it enables our vessels to fish for the spermaceti as well 

 as the black whale in the same year.* 



The dolphin genus is found in all seas, in the Arctic 

 Ocean, the Mediterranean, the Gulf of Messina, and the 

 Adriatic Sea, from whence they go into the lagoons of 

 Venice, and to the coasts of Cochin and China. Very 

 considerable establishments are formed for their capture, 

 which produce a great quantity of oil. 



I may conclude by stating that the Bales net Mystice- 

 tus, or Greenland whale, and the Monodon Motioceros, 

 or Narwhale, usually frequent the seas towards the 

 poles, between the 68th and 80th degrees of latitude ; 

 and that the other families are found diffused more or 

 less in the seas of more temperate regions. It would 

 appear from the preceding description of the places 

 forming the ordinary haunt of the whale, that the pro- 

 ductions of nature are disposed somewhat in a contrary 

 order, since we find all the large terrestrial animals, such 

 as the elephant and rhinoceros, in countries within the 

 torrid zone; while the huge inhabitants of the ocean 

 have fixed their abode in the polar regions. 



MIGRATION OF THE WHALE. 



Although the abode of the whale be generally deter- 

 mined and fixed, yet particular causes force them to 



* In the Metropolitan Magazine for April, 1833, the reader will do 

 well to peruse an excellent article on " The South Seas," inasmuch as it 

 contains some valuable commercial observations, respecting the capture 

 of common and sperm whales. 



