20 Structure and Economy 



to inhabit depths so profound, and so far removed from the air 

 it breathes, this velocity of motion was a condition necessary 

 to its existence. 



It, however, very materially increases the danger attendant 

 on its capture ; from the awful accident of a coil of the line of 

 the descending struck whale, entangling itself around any part 

 of the body of the manager of the line, while it is run out ; for, 

 as the animal descends at the rate of from thirteen to fifteen 

 feet per second, in this case, the individual so entangled be- 

 comes immediately dragged to a depth from which he is never 

 able again to rise to the surface ; and thus managers of the fine 

 are sometimes snatched from boats with such instantaneous 

 velocity, as to almost escape the notice of all present. 



That this species of whale is naturally very timid, is apparent 

 from various circumstances. From the excessive fear into which 

 it is thrown by the infliction of a wound, when reposing 

 on the surface of the sea, it has, on several occasions, been 

 known to descend with such incautious velocity, as to even 

 fracture its massive jaw-bones, and occasion its death, by 

 striking itself against rocks at the bottom. Nevertheless, when 

 urged to resentment, which, as in all other animals, is most 

 readily excited when under the powerful influence of parental 

 attachment, the whale not unfrequently exhibits fatal illustra- 

 tions of its tremendous muscular force. Thus, with the pos- 

 terior half of its body quickly elevated above the water, it is 

 enabled, with its broad semilunar tail, which has been seen to 

 measure twenty-six feet in breadth, and one and a half in 

 thickness, to instantaneously shatter to pieces a strong boat 

 by a single blow. I have been assured by Captain Beadling, 

 on whose word I have great reason fully to rely, that having 

 once wounded a large whale, it instantly elevated its tail high 

 above one of the boats, and struck it with such force as to com- 

 pletely cleave it asunder transversely : the men it contained, 

 by leaping into the water, were nevertheless all fortunately 

 saved by a second boat. There is a poor crippled object now 

 living at Hull, who was shown to me by Dr. Alderson ; he was 

 formerly a boat steerer of the Diana, commanded by Captain 

 Clifford, in which employment, a whale that was struck, ran 

 out all the lines, and at a blow, clove the boat asunder, break- 



