48 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



All is slleat aad motionless till the while spouts, when with instant dash all 

 paldle towards it. The moment the spouting is over, every paddle is raised 

 from the water. Again the spout is seen, or in thick weather heard through 

 the fog — again they spring to their paddles. In this manner the animal is 

 approached near enough to dart the harpoon, when all shout at the top of 

 their voices and make all the noise possible. This is said to have the effect 

 of checking the animal's progress, till the harpoon is planted in its body with 

 line and buoy attached. The chase is continued in like manner until a num- 

 ber of weapons are fastened, causing the whale much effort to get under 

 water and still more to remain down ; consequently it soon rises again, and 

 is attacked with renewed vigor. In a short time it becomes so much ex- 

 hausted that the boat can, without much risk, go close to it. It is an ac- 

 knowledged right with them for the man that first harpoons the whale to 

 take command of the whale party. Accordingly, as soon as the proper time 

 arrives his " baidarra " is paddled close to the whale, and with surprising 

 quickness he cuts a piece of blubber from its side large enough to admit a 

 knife and the boat mast to which it is lashed. Then the cutting and pierc- 

 ing begins, and is continued till the whale is in his death struggles. The 

 capture being made and the whale towed to the shore, it is divided as follows : 

 Each member of the party receives ten slabs of bone, and a like proportion 

 of the blubber and entrails;, the owners of the canoes take the remainder. 



The choice pieces for a dainty repast with them are the flukes, lips and 

 fins. The oil is a great article of trade with the interior tribes of reindeer 

 men ; it is sold in skins, containing about fifteen gallons each, a skin of oil 

 being the price of a reindeer. The entrails are made into a kind of sauce by 

 pickling them in a liquid extracted from a root that imparts an acrid taste. 

 The preparation is a savory dish among them as well as a preventative of the 

 scurvey. The lean flesh of the whale supplies food for their dogs, the whole 

 canine horde of the village assembling where the carcass lies, fighting, 

 feasting, growling and howling, as only Eskemo dogs can. 



Many of the prominent habits of the California Gray are widely different 

 from those of other species of Balxna. It makes its regular migrations from 

 the hot southern latitudes to beyond the Arctic circle, and in these passages 

 between the antipodes of climate it follows the general trund of an irregular 

 coast so near that it is exposed to attack from the savage tribes inhabiting 

 the sea-shores, who pass much of their time in the canoe, and make the cap- 

 ture of this piebald animal a feat of the highest distinction. As it approaches 

 the genial waters of the torrid zone it presents an opportunity to the civilized 

 whalemen, at sea, along the shore, and in the lagoons, to practice their dif- 

 ferent modes of strategy, that hasten its annihiliation. It manifests inordi- 

 nate affection for its young and seeks the quiet waters of the estuaries lying 

 under a tropical sun, as if to warm its oflFspring into activity and promote 

 comfort in their native element until grown to the degree that nature de- 

 mands for their first northern visit. When the parent animals are attacked 

 they show a degree of resistance and tenacity of life that distinguish them 

 from all others of the great cetacean family. 



Many expert whalemen have been made to suffer in the encounter, and, as 

 before mentioned, there is no lack of instances where the daring pursuer has 

 either been killed or received serious injury. Once captured, however, they 

 yield the coveted reward to their enemies. They furnish sustenance for the 

 Eskemo whaler from such parts of the animal as are of little value to others. 

 The oil extracted from their fatty covering is exchanged with remote tribes 

 of reindeer men for their fur clad animals, of whieh the flesh affords the vendors 

 a feast of the choicest food, and the skins form an indispensable article of 

 clothing. The North-West Indians realize the same comparative benefit from 

 the captured animals as do the Eskemo, and look forward to its periodical 

 passage through their circumscribed whaling grounds as a season of exploits 

 and profit. 



[April, 



