30 THE INDUSTBIES OF SHETLAND: [Nov. 



and a lar^e dorsal fin which distinguishes the Ca'ing whale at a glance 

 from the Bottle-nose. I often saw booby Globy moving steadily along 

 after a herrinf^ boat, with his back fin above the surface like a cut- 

 water. Bottle-nose can be seen sometimes rolling about at the surface 

 as if intoxicated, and it is easy to see that he has only a tail and side 

 fins to exhibit on such occasions. Like other sheep, booby sometimes 

 strays, and is occasionally seen in the IMediterranean ; but his usual 

 haunts are between 56° and 6Q° N. Lat. Over his extensive fish 

 pastures the inoffensive beast ranges at will, and becomes so fat in 

 the capital sea pasturage of Shetland that the teats of the females, 

 which are larger than those of cows, are very often quite concealed 

 and packed away in blubber. The skin is soft and silken, and there 

 are usually about three inches of blubber on the back. Ca'ing whales 

 cry easily, and have decidedly the softest heads and hearts of all the 

 Cetacea, and the tenderest maternal and mutual affections, with such 

 a strong inclination to assist companions in distress, that when they 

 hear a stranded cub crying, or ' ca'ing,' having run aground or got 

 into some other scrape, the parents and relations immediately come 

 bustling up without either plan or reflection, and the result very 

 often is that all the family rush into a predicament, and lose their 

 lives while showing their sympathy. 



Another peculiarity of the Shetland whale is his loyalty to the 

 leader of the drove. He owes the name Deductor to that peculiar 

 trait of electing a leader, or sort of emperor, whom he follows for weal 

 or woe, as we have already seen. No doubt there are advantages in 

 thus selecting an experienced member of the drove in preference to 

 each whale acting on his own responsibility. The machinery of a 

 parliamentary form of government might prove too slow in cases 

 where the safety of the drove depended upon promptitude ; and on the 

 other hand the autocratic system proves terribly defective when the 

 unfortunate Deductor loses his head and leads the drove upon the 

 sands. 



The business of fishing in Shetland was at length wrested from the 

 Dutch, in whose hands it long remained, and on their retiring from 

 the trade early in the last century the land proprietors themselves 

 turned fish-curers. 



According to the report to the Truck Commission, which is more 

 reliable than my own information derived from casual inquiries, 

 home or summer fishing includes the fishing for ling, cod, tusk and 

 saith. It is prosecuted in open boats, usually of six oars, from about 

 the 20th of May to the 12th of August. The ' Haaf fishery '—from 

 haaf, ' the deep sea ' — includes the taking of cod, ling and tusk, ling 

 being by far the most important part of the produce. Cod fishing, 

 called 'Faroe fishing,' is prosecuted in the vicinity of the Faroe 



