172 WHALE-FISHERY. 



solution, by discharging from its " blowholes/' a 

 mixture of blood along with the air and mucus 

 which it usually expires, and finally jets of blood 

 alone. The sea, to a great extent around, is dyed 

 with its blood, and the ice, boats, and men, are 

 sometimes drenched with the same. Its track is 

 likewise marked by a broad pellicle of oil, which 

 exudes from its wounds, and appears on the surface 

 of the sea. Its final capture is sometimes preceded 

 by a convulsive struggle, in w T hich, its tail, rear- 

 ed, whirled, and violently jerked in the air, re- 

 sounds to the distance of miles. In dying, it turns 

 on its back or on its side; which joyful circum- 

 stance is announced by the capturers with the 

 striking of their flags, accompanied by three lively 

 huzzas! 



The remarkable exhaustion observed in the first 

 appearance of a wounded whale at the surface, after 

 a descent of 700 or 800 fathoms perpendicular, 

 does not depend ou the nature of the wound it has 

 received;. for a hundred superficial wounds received 







from harpoons, could not have the effect of a single 

 lance penetrating the vitals, but is the effect of 

 the almost incredible pressure to which the animal 

 must have been exposed. The surface of the body 

 of a large whale, may be considered as comprising 

 an area of 1540 square feet. This, under the com- 

 mon weight of the, atmosphere only, must sustain a 

 pressure of 3,104,640 pounds, or 1386 tons. But 

 at the depth of 800 fathoms, where there is a column 



