THE THRESHER AND THE WHALE a.d. 



*593- 



foure feathers onely, and these narrower. He is all 



blacke, of the colour of a Crow, and of little flesh ; 

 for hee is almost all skinne and bones. He soareth the 

 highest of any Fowle that I have seene, and I have not 

 heard of any, that have seene them rest in the Sea. 



Now of the fight betwixt the Whale and his con- The fight of 

 traries ; which are the Sword-fish and the Thresher. *** Whale. 

 The Sword-fish is not great, but strongly made, and in ™ l * 



i r i • i ■ / \i_- i_ Sword-fish 



the top or his chine (as a man may sayj betwixt the an j Thresher. 

 necke and shoulders, he hath a manner of Sword 

 in substance, like unto a bone of foure or five inches 

 broad, and above three foote long, full of prickles of 

 either side, it is but thinne, for the greatest that I have 

 seene, hath not beene above a finger thicke. The Thresher 

 is a greater fish, whose taile is very broad and thicke, 

 and very weighty. They fight in this manner ; the 

 Sword-fish placeth himselfe under the belly of the Whale, 

 and the Thresher upon the Ryme of the water, and with 

 his tayle thresheth upon the head of the Whale, till he 

 force him to give way, which the Sword-fish perceiving, 

 receiveth him upon his sword, and wounding him in 

 the belly forceth him to mount up againe : (besides that, 

 he cannot abide long under water, but must of force 

 rise up to breath) and when in such manner they tor- 

 ment him, that the fight is sometimes heard above three The strokes 

 leagues distance, and I dare affirme, that I have heard heard two 

 the blowes of the Thresher two leagues off, as the report lea & ues - 

 of a peece of Ordnance, the Whales roaring being heard 

 much farther. It also happeneth sundry times, that a 

 great part of the water of the Sea round about them, 

 with the bloud of the Whale changeth his colour. The 

 best remedy the Whale hath in this extremitie to helpe 

 himselfe, is to get him to land, which hee procure^h as 

 soone as he discovereth his adversaries, and getting the 

 shore, there can fight but one with him, and for either 

 of them hand to hand he is too good. 



Amber-greece is thought by some to breede in the Amber- 

 Whales belly by eating of a certaine hearb, but that S reece - 



93 



