178 NATURAL HISTORY ESSAYS 



Boston, U.S.A.; eleven years later one was exhibited 

 at the Westminster Aquarium, and was followed in 

 a twelvemonth by another, which was shown at the 

 same institution, and is figured in Flower and 

 Lydekker's " Introduction to the Mammalia*" In 

 1880, a fourth individual was safely brought to New 

 York. Other examples were consigned inland to 

 Cincinnati, though they unfortunately died before 

 actually reaching their destination. A pair were 

 taken on the Riviere du Loup, in Canada ; they were 

 immature animals, the male being nine feet long and 

 the female about ten. Packed in strong boxes 

 carpeted with seaweed, and accompanied by an 

 attendant who constantly moistened the blowhole 

 with a sponge, they were forwarded to the New 

 York Aquarium, where they arrived on June 5, 1897. 

 The white whales proved an immense attraction ; 

 unfortunately, the female had been injured in transit 

 and only survived five days. The male fed well on 

 live eels, which he chased round the tank, always 

 swimming in the same direction. One of these eels 

 proved as fatal to the whale as the piece of bread to 

 Earl Godwin ; for the fish getting into the air passage 

 of the unfortunate beluga suffocated him, this accident 

 happening several weeks after arrival. Efforts were 

 made during the summer of 1904 to obtain two more 

 white whales for the New York Aquarium from a 

 fishery on the St. Lawrence, but without success. 

 The attempt, however, is to be repeated. 



