Beyond the Horizon 265 



eats give rise to the peculiar product called "amber- 

 gris," the concretion of its intestine which usually 

 contains the beaks of those creatures. This substance 

 was formerly used in medicines but is nov/ a con- 

 stituent of the finer perfumes. It has no fragrance 

 of its own, but it has the property of enhancing 

 the scents with which it is combined. It is generally 

 found floating on the surface of the sea or cast up 

 on the shore, and, as it is one of the costliest articles 

 of commerce, it can bring its chance discoverer a hand- 

 some reward. The sperm whale is a native of tropical 

 and subtropical seas; but, in their breeding places In 

 southern latitudes, the old bulls in their fights for pos- 

 session of the cows drive from their haunts the young 

 males; and these, in wandering over the ocean after 

 defeat, may in a sense be said to have a cosmopolitan 

 range. 



As might be inferred, the possession of a set of 

 powerful teeth Is not attended without a certain degree 

 of ferocity. Such, at any rate. Is the case with the great 

 killer whale, or grampus {Orca gladiator) ^ the fiercest 

 of the family. This beast is a dolphin and is the largest 

 of those animals. It measures some thirty feet long. 

 The conspicuous light-colored bands with which Its 

 body Is marked serve to emphasize its somewhat for- 

 bidding appearance. Seals and porpoises are not un- 

 common among its captures; and It will boldly attack 

 whales even larger than itself. One naturalist has 

 recorded that he took thirteen porpoises and fourteen 

 seals from the stomach of a single individual. The 

 grampus roams the northern seas. It sometimes hunts 

 in packs; and whales of goodly size have been known 



