BULLETIN OF THE UNITED StATES FISH COMMISSION. 215 



noon and overbauled. the whale at the mouth of the Tay, not far from 

 the Biuldonness light-house. No time was lost in sending forward the 

 whale-boat, which the steamer had picked up, and it, too, was soon fast* 



Between 3 and 4 o'clock the harpoon line of the steam launch was 

 got on board of the tug, which then shut otf steam. Thus, in addition 

 to the two boats and launch, the whale had the larger steamer to pull 

 along. But, despite this weight, it exhibited a wonderful amount of 

 energy, swimming swiftly about for a time in various directions. The 

 crews of the boats improved every chance to attack the whale, the keen- 

 pointed lances being repeatedly thrust into it almost to their sockets. 

 From the wounds the blood flew in all directions, giving the surround- 

 ing water a crimson tint. Meantime, instead of succumbing, as one 

 might expect, it continued the flurries for several hours, sometimes 

 heading seaward and then retracing its course up the river. In the 

 course of its struggles the whale rose under one of the boats and lifted 

 one end, with its crew, entirely out of water, but luckily no damage was 

 done. 



In the meantime the steam launch was sent off to Dundee to procure 

 a supply of bomb-lances aud rockets. By the time, however, that the 

 launch reached the river's mouth with the new equipment of whaling 

 implements, night had fairly set in, and the weather being thick added 

 to the darkness, so that no trace of the whale and its pursuers could 

 be obtained. 



The crews of the tug and whale-boats had done their best to keep the 

 "fish" inside of the estuary until the launch returned, knowing, too, 

 that if once outside they would have less chance to kill it; but in 

 this they failed, and, what made it worse, in the attempt they parted 

 two of their harpoon lines. This was specially unfortunate, for there 

 were no more harpoons left on board the boats. Nothing, therefore, 

 could be done but to let themselves be towed along, and wait for the 

 " fish "to tire himself out. Heading along the northern side of the Tay, 

 the whale took a run over the shoal water of the Gaa Bank, and by this 

 means temporarily^ shook off the steam-tug, which was obliged to let go, 

 fearing to bring up- on the bank if she held on. Between C and 7 o'clock 

 in the evening the bar of the Tay was crossed aud the struggling ceta- 

 cean headed off into the open sea. 



The tug had been watching an opportunity to get hold again, and 

 when deep water was reached, about an hour after she let go, she got 

 fast to the line. At first the whale headed ofit" toward Bell Rock, on an 

 easterly course, but after awhile struck off in a northerly direction. It 

 was evidently somewhat confused as to the course it should take to es- 

 cape from the land, for after getting almost otf Montrose, about mid- 

 night, it changed to the opposite direction and again started for Bell 

 Eock. This was passed at a distance of about four mi'es, and when the 

 whale had reached a position within six or seven miles of the Carr Rock, 

 which lies at the mouth of the Firth of Forth, it again changed its 



