i8o THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN 



IV — WORKING conditions: right whaling in 



TEMPERATE WATERS 



The equipment, methods of procedure, and general working 

 conditions pertaining to right whaling, when carried on in 

 temperate waters, were essentially similar to those existing in 

 the sperm fishery. In fact, many vessels made a practice of 

 capturing both species during the course of a single voyage, and 

 returned home with a cargo containing not only sperm oil, but 

 whale oil and whalebone as well. 



There were, however, some significant differences in the 

 habits of the two species which the activities of the whalemen 

 reflected. The right whale, in addition to an insistent pre- 

 ference for the cooler waters of higher latitudes, often dis- 

 played a fondness for the more shallow areas of sounds, bays, 

 or even harbors 3 whereas the cachalot seldom forsook the 

 deeper portions of the ocean. The former was not only more 

 plentiful, but was also slower in action and less likely to show 

 fight when attacked. Consequently the pursuit of a specimen 

 of this species usually involved less difficulty, excitement, and 

 danger than came to those who sought the cachalot. The right 

 whale possessed one effective weapon in its massive flukes, 

 which could be swept from side to side with great speed and 

 terrific momentum. It also made use of one curious method 

 of passive resistance known as "slack blubber," whereby a por- 

 tion of the body was doubled into a bow-shape which rendered 

 it impenetrable to the harpoon. But an experienced harpooner 

 seldom allowed himself to be foiled by "slack blubber" j and 

 ordinarily it was possible to evade the flukes by "taking it head 

 and head." Having reached this relatively favorable location, 

 any rushes which might be made at the boat could be stopped 

 by the expedient of pricking an extremely sensitive spot on 

 the end of the whale's nose. 



If the right whale was easier to capture, however, the proc- 

 esses of cutting-in and trying-out involved more labor than 

 in the case of the sperm whale. Since the former possessed 

 a heavier coat of blubber, any given individual yielded more 

 oil, on the average, than a cachalot of equal length. A large 



