200 THE NATURAL HISTORY OF 



tremely painful, and they are most troublesome in that 

 season when the whale is in heat. 



AGE OF THE WHALE. 



If the time necessary for the growth or increase of 

 the body were in proportion to the period of life, there 

 could be but little doubt of the whale being, of all ani- 

 mals known, the most remarkable for longevity. It is 

 well known, that the whales which were taken when 

 this fishery first became an object of trade, that is, be- 

 tween two and three hundred years ago, were of much 

 greater bulk than those found in the present day. The 

 largest now taken rarely exceeds sixty feet long ; while, 

 at that time, some reached a hundred in length. The 

 reason of this difference seems to be, that when the 

 fishery first commenced, whales having met their perfect 

 growth were to be met with. These, on account of being 

 the largest, were constantly harassed, pursued, and de- 

 stroyed; so that none which have obtained their full 

 growth are now to be found in those seas. From this 

 circumstance, that no large whales are now to be seen 

 in the places which they commonly frequent, it is con- 

 cluded, that the period of the life of the whale is very 

 long; and that they cannot arrive at the huge size for 

 which the first whales were so remarkable, since they 

 are not permitted to live undisturbed the requisite length 

 of time to attain that bulk. According to Buffon and 

 Cuvier, a whale may live one thousand years, since a 

 carp has been known to reach the age of two hundred. 

 But, reasoning from analogy, with regard to the struc- 

 ture and economy of the whale, we have seen in many 

 instances by no means holds ; and it is perhaps equally 

 inapplicable to the growth and age of this order of 

 animals. 



