NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 37 



pooned, it may run for the floe, and before being killed reaches it, and escapes 

 with harpoons, lines, &c. If the pursuit proves successful, the captured whale 

 istoweil to the beach at high tide, aud a scarf is cutthrougli the blubber along 

 the body, a tackle is made fast on shore and hooked to the blubber, then as the 

 tide falfs the animal is literally skinned of its oily hide, the carcass rolling down 

 the bank as the process of skinning goes on. The bone is extracted from the 

 mouth as the body rolls over, and presents the best opportunity. As soon as 

 the blubber is taken off it is rafted* and lies in the water till taken on board 

 ship. The water being very cold, the blubber remains in its natural state for 

 a long time, retaining the oil with but small loss. While the whaling is going 

 on in this wise, the captain with the ship-keepers improves every opportunity to 

 work the ship to the whales. If there is an opening seen between the ice and 

 shore, the ship is at once worked through either by towing, kedgingor sailing, 

 and if meeting an adverse tide or wind the vessel is anchored with a very light 

 anchor, so that if beset by ice unexpectedly in the night or during the dense 

 fogs that prevail, the vessel will drift with the floe, thereby avoiding the dan- 

 gers of being cut through. Heavy fogs prevail until the ice disappears, and 

 the circumscribed clear water being crowded with ships and boats, much care 

 aud manoeuvering is exercised to prevent accident. These fogs frequently are 

 so dense that no object can be seen much more than a ship's length ; conse- 

 quently at such times cruising and whaling in the bays is full of excitement and 

 anxiety. A ship may be laying quietly at anchor one moment, and the next 

 she is surrounded by a field of ice, or the splashing of water under the bow of 

 a passing vessel tells of her close proximity. Then comes the blowing of horns, 

 the ringing of bells, the firing of guns, or pounding on empty casks, to indicate 

 the vessel's position, in order to avoid collision. 



Neither fog or drifting ice, however, prevents the whalers from vigorously 

 prosecuting their work. In thick weather, when the spout of the whale or the 

 animal itself cannot be seen, its hollow-sounding respiration can be heard a 

 long distance. In such instances the boats approach as near as can be judged 

 where the sound was heard, and if the animal is found and captured it is at the 

 risk of the boats coming in contact with passing ships, ice or what not, and, 

 too, not knowing with any degree of certainty what part of the bay they may 

 be in, the first and main object beingto capture the whale at all hazards. This 

 being done it is taken in tow by the boats or is anchored. If taken in tow and 

 not finding their own ship, but meeting with another, the custom is to go on 

 board to eat or sleep, if necessary, and when recruited, or the fog lifts so as to 

 find their own vessel, they are supplied with provisions, if needed, till they can 

 reach her. If anchored, one boat always remains with the whale while the 

 others go in search of the ship. As soon as found the master, learning of the 

 capture, makes every eff'ort to work his vessel to the dead animal; or, if that 

 cannot be done, every favorabte tide is improved to tow the whale to the ship, 

 where it is cut in and tried out in the usual manner. As the season ad- 

 vances the ice disappears, leaving more room for cruising with the vessels, 

 when the fleet becomes more scattered, and the feature of the whaling changes ; 

 the boats are kept more with the vessels, look-outs being stationed at the mast- 

 heads, and the whaling is principally done from the ship (as it is called) ; some- 

 times two boats are sent from a vessel to look for whales in an adjoining bay. 

 Meanwhile the nights have become longer. Then comes the night whaling. 

 The phosphorescent light caused by the whale's movements in the water show 

 quite distinctly his whereabouts, and, the Bowhead whales being easy of cap- 

 ture compared with other kinds, niyht ivhaliny has been pursued successfully. 



We have spoken of the Bowheads as being comparatively easy of capture, but 

 it must not be inferred that the pursuit is not often tedious or unsuccessful, or 

 the attack made without risk of life and limb, as well as in other kinds of 

 whaling. 



* Tied together with ropes in a sort of raft. 



1869.] 



