Julu-Augusl, 19i5 



CHICAGO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM BULLETIN 



Pages 



THE SPERM WHALE 



This species represents the toothed varieties of whales, and is 

 was one of the most sought after by whalers, and is the speci 

 "Moby Dick" belonged. 



The record was made by a sperm whale 

 that became entangled in a submarine cable 

 off the coast of Colombia at a depth of more 

 than 3,000 feet. 



Q. How fast do whales swim? 

 A. Up to 18 knots. 



The blue whale can swim at about 12 

 knots, with bursts of speed up to 14 knots; 

 the smaller whales, like the dolphins may 

 be much swifter. The common dolphin is 

 said to pass ships at more than 18 knots. 



Q. Why does man hunt whales? 

 A. Mainly for their oil. 



The oil is tried out of the layer of fat 

 (blubber) beneath the skin, with by-products 

 of meat used as food and fertilizer from the 

 rest of the carcass. 



Q. What is "whalebone?" 

 A. Whalebone is not bone, but the horny 

 plate material suspended from the roof of the 

 mouth in the toothless whales. 



It forms a strainer to let the water pass 

 out and retain the small creatures of the sea 

 for food. 



Q. Is whalebone still used in corsets? 

 A. Apparently not. 



The use for this purpose in the great days 

 of the corset almost led to the extinction of 

 the bowhead whale, which produced the 

 finest whalebone. 



Q. Do whales have a tiny throat? 



A. The opening of the throat is small in the 



whalebone whales but large in the toothed 



whales. 



A large killer whale (30 feet or so in length) 

 could easily have swallowed Jonah. 



Q. What whale is supposed to have swallowed 



Jonah? 



A. None. 



The Bible reports Jonah to have been 

 swallowed by a "great fish." 



Q. What do whales eat? 

 A. The whalebone whales eat the smaller 

 fishes and liny crustaceans and mollusks of 

 the sea. The toothed whales feed on large and 

 small fishes and many eat squids. 



The sperm whale apparently feeds mainly 



on a giant squid that 

 swims at a depth of 

 several hundred feet. 



Q. Are sea cows whales? 

 A. No. 



They are an entirely 

 distinct group of mam- 

 mals that have taken 

 to the sea. They are 

 related to the elephants. 



the largest of them. It 

 ies to which the famous 



Q. Are porpoises and 



dolphins whales? 

 A. Yes. 

 That is, in a broad sense, whales include 

 these smaller types. 



Q. How long do whales live? 



A. No one knows much about this. 



A famous dolphin in New Zealand was a 

 well-known harbor character for 32 years. 



Q. What enemies do whales have? 



A. The only important enemy of whales 



besides man is the killer whale. 



The killer whale attacks even the largest 

 whales by ganging up on them, and it 

 regularly feeds on the smaller porpoises and 

 dolphins. 



Q. What is ambergris? 

 A. Ambergris is a curious substance appar- 

 ently produced only in the intestines of sick 

 whales. 



It is sometimes found cast up on the 

 beach. It was formerly valuable in perfume 

 making, but has now been displaced by 

 synthetic chemicals. 



Q. Where are whales found? 

 A. In all parts of the oceans. 



Populations of regions vary in more or 

 less direct proportion to the abundance of 

 the whales' food in any particular locality. 

 Since the small floating animals of the sea 

 are especially abundant in polar seas, the 

 whalebone whales are most abundant in the 

 Arctic and Antarctic. 



Q. Do whales occur in rivers? 

 A. All the great tropical rivers have fresh- 

 water dolphins. 



Often special kinds are found in specific 

 river systems. 



Q. What are "scrimshaws" and "jagging 



wheels?" 



A. The product of whaling-ship sailors' 



leisure lime. 



Scrimshaws are decorated sperm whale 

 teeth, engraved by the sailors on the long 

 whaling voyages of the early part of the 

 19th century, intended for mantel shelf 

 bric-a-brac. Jagging wheels are elaborately 

 decorated pie-crimpers made from cut 

 sections of sperm whale tooth. These 

 objects are such favorites among collectors 

 that it is difficult to obtain specimens. 



Two additional cases at the end of the 

 hall are in preparation to supplement the 

 series of models. These cases will present 

 skeletons, anatomical models, and other 

 material to illustrate topics in the natural 

 history of whales. 



The models are the work of Mr. C. J. 

 Albrecht, former Staff Taxidermist, and the 

 painting of both models and murals is by 

 Mr. Arthur G. Rueckert, Staff Artist. 



BACKGROUNDS OF WAR AND PEACE 



(Summer Programs for Adults 



on Sunday Afternoons) 



For the past three summers, to meet the 

 widespread demands for authentic informa- 

 tion about the geography, peoples, flora and 

 fauna of regions where the war is being 

 fought, the Museum has presented series of 

 programs under the title "Backgrounds of 

 the War." 



These have proved so popular that during 

 July and August this year the .series will be 

 resumed. However, to accommodate larger 

 audiences and provide a time meeting the 

 convenience of a larger segment of the 

 public, the programs will be given on Sunday 

 afternoons at 2:30 (instead of Thursdays, 

 as hitherto). In harmony with the efforts 

 being made to achieve an international 

 peace organization the title has been changed 

 to "Backgrounds of War and Peace." 



The new series will be presented in the 

 James Simpson Theatre where seats will be 

 reserved for members of this institution until 

 the hour of the program, after which time all 

 seats remaining unoccupied will be made 

 available to the public. 



The programs will combine documentary 

 motion pictures with lectures by members 

 of the staff of the Raymond Foundation. 

 Following are the dates and subjects: 

 July 15 —In the Wake op War (Motion 

 pictures, including a captured Japanese 

 film in which the Japanese narrator 

 destroys our complacency). Introduced 

 by Miss Miriam Wood. 

 July 22 -War and Peace in the Pacific 

 (Still and motion pictures from New 

 Guinea and the Solomon Lslands). Com- 

 mentary by Mrs. Roberta Cramer. 

 July 29 -Seeds of Conflict in the East 

 (Korea, Manchukuo and China). Intro- 

 duction by Miss Emma Neve. 

 August 5— Russia and Her People (Mo- 

 tion pictures). Introduction by Mr. Bert 

 E. Grove. 

 August 12— Rediscovering South Amer- 

 ica (Motion pictures of South American 

 development including the Walt Disney 

 interpretative film "The Amazon 

 Awakens"). Introduction by Mrs. 

 Roberta Cramer. 

 August 19— Meet Your America (The 

 land of 150 million people — motion 

 pictures). Introduction and conclusion 

 by Miss Miriam Wood. 



