APPEARANCE AT THE SURFACE 123 



The most timid took flight on approach of the ship : they swam off in a set direction or erratically, 

 but keeping well out of range of the guns. A ship of 10-12 knots has no hope of overtaking these 

 whales and they were usually abandoned by us after an hour's chase. 



The less timid took flight on approach of the ship but allowed themselves to be overtaken after 

 pursuit. 



On 3 January when the whales were inclined to be on the timid side, schools of two to four allowed 

 the ship to come within range after perhaps 10-30 min. chasing, but went out of reach immediately 

 one of their number had been hit. On the same day a gun was accidentally discharged at a distance 

 of 100-200 yards behind a school of 9-10 and the whales became unapproachable. 



At other times a school may allow the ship at close quarters, though after every round of hitting 

 the whales take temporary flight. Some whales grow less approachable, others more so under this 

 treatment. 



100-1 



80- 



^60- 



kJ 



a 



Ld 



0140- 



LL 



20- 



24 32 40 48 56 



LENGTH OF INTERVAL IN SECONDS 



64 



72 



BO 



Fig. 3. Curve illustrating the frequency distribution of blowing intervals, with data lumped into 8 sec. groups. 



In contrast to the occasions when whales fled from the whale-marking vessel, are the times when 

 they took no notice of her and when they even seemed attracted. These occasions were few and as 

 the circumstances suggest that the whales were in the act of, or had been, feeding, they will be 

 considered later. 



Another response, especially characteristic of the larger schools, is a tendency to split up into smaller 

 groups. On 29 December, for example, a school of probably fifty split into halves. The half pursued 

 soon split again so that no more than a dozen whales or so could be chased as a body. Later, these 

 in turn dispersed into smaller schools of threes, fours, fives or sixes. Such splitting was frequent. 



Whales very often seemed to wince on being hit by a mark : indicated by a twitching of the dorsal 

 fin (28 December), and sometimes by a quivering of the muscles of the flank as in a horse (21 January), 

 or by a kick with one of the tail flukes (11 January). The fluke would flick out of the water, beating 

 about with the flourish of an irritated animal, and send up an awesome splash, sometimes wetting the 

 ship's forecastle. 



Whales not hit have also been seen to kick with a fluke at the report of a gun, though the mark 

 that was fired was aimed at another whale and had missed it (7 February). And whales that have come 

 towards the surface with the evident intention of blowing have, at the report of a gun, dived again. 



