380 Mr. VV. Thompson on the Bottle-nosed Whale. 



nosed description of whale, had come round the Scaur and 

 embayed themselves ; the receding tide swept its treacherous 

 waters from under them, and finding themselves grounded, 

 their mighty exertions were truly terrific, yet unavailing for 

 their extrication. Mr. Robertson of Clendry was the first 

 who took notice of the errant strangers, and arming him- 

 self and retainers with pitchforks and knives, repaired to 

 the scene of action, and commenced the terrible onslaught. 

 The dying agonies of the mighty monsters were truly tre- 

 mendous. Desperate from the repeated thrusts of the oppo- 

 nents, and from their inextricable position, their powerful tails 

 were wrought with astonishing effect. The water (of which 

 there was yet a quantity around them) was lashed into foam 

 and agitation, the crested waves stretching to an incredible 

 distance, while high in air the water ascended in one unbroken 

 sheet. From their blow-holes the crimsoned water was sent 

 in a jet, imposingly grand, to a great height. After similar 

 and protracted writhings, with a kind of snort or roar, their 

 fury subsided, and in a short time all was still. They were 

 towed to the shore amidst the gaze of numerous and wonder- 

 stricken spectators, a large number of whom arrived hourly 

 to inspect them. A number of men was then employed to cut 

 off .the blubber, of which there were thirteen barrels, loading 

 five carts. The dimensions of the largest fish was 24 feet 4 

 inches in length, and 16 feet at the thickest part in circum- 

 ference ; the smaller one about 16 feet long, and thick in pro- 

 portion. The tail of the largest was 6|^ feet in breadth.^' 



It is very probable that other paragraphs to the same effect 

 may have appeared in the newspapers, especially as those here 

 introduced I observed merely on a casual perusal of some of 

 those published in a provincial town. It is rarely that such 

 notices are of any service to the naturalist, but the very pe- 

 culiar form of the head of the animal under consideration 

 (whence it has received the name of Bottle-nosed Whale) 

 taken in connexion with the dimensions stated, leaves no 

 doubt in any instance here quoted that the Hyperoodon is al- 

 luded to. Were the size of the individual described about one 

 half of what is reported, then would there be a doubt whether 

 the captives might not have been the Bottle-nosed Dolphin 



