IN NORTHERN MISTS 



Friis [c£. Storm, 1881, p. 70] refers to a similar method of whal- 

 ing when he says that 



" in ancient times many expedients or methods were used for catching whales, 

 which ... on account of men's unskillfulness have fallen out of use." 



They had " a spear with sharp irons, so that it could not be 

 pulled out again." This was hurled into the whale, which died 

 in a short time, or became so weakened that it could be drawn 

 to land ; 



" which whales were then cut up and divided among those who had shot, and 

 him who owned the land, or him who had first found the whale driven in, ac- 

 cording to the provisions of the law." 



We must suppose that this iron was poisoned with bacteria 

 from former whales, in a similar way to the arrows mentioned 

 above, whereby the animal's wound was infected. However, 

 Peder Clausson's description of the hunt is evidently taken in 

 great measure from older literary sources, since similar descrip- 

 tions are found as early as in Albertus Magnus (ob. 1280.) [ " De 

 animalibus," xxiv. 651], and in Vincent of Beauvais [ " Speculum 

 majus," i. 1272]. In all three authors the whale dives after 

 being struck, and tosses about on the bottom or rubs itself 

 against it, thereby driving the spear farther in; but in Peder 

 Clausson it does so in order to " get rid of the shot," while in 

 Albertus it is on account of salt water getting into the wound, 

 and in Vincentius the salt water penetrates and kills the wounded 

 whale. As the descriptions of Albertus and Vincentius evidently 

 refer to ordinary harpoon-whaling, it may be doubtful whether 

 Peder Clausson's statement really relates to a method of 

 catching different from the usual one with harpoon and line, 

 although one is disposed to believe that it does. He also men- 

 tions in the same place other whales that they could "pursue 

 with boats and drive into bays and small fjords, and kill them 

 there with hand-shot and bow-shot." This may be supposed 

 to refer to a method similar to that mentioned above, with 

 poisoned arrows; but, on the other hand, it may relate to a 

 third method of taking small whales, which was certainly 

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