^TERMINATION OF THE FISHING SEASON. 215 



ral ships cruised " the country" for some weeks 

 afterwards, in all navigable directions through an 

 extent of four degrees of latitude, and penetrated 

 the ice as far as the main western body, in different 

 parallels, it does not appear that a single whale was 

 caught, and, as far as I was able to learn, but one 

 was seen, and this individual was observed to be 

 rapidly advancing tov>ards the north-west. I do 

 not mention this as an uncommon circumstance, 

 because a similar case occurs frequently, but as a 

 single illustration of the foregoing observation. 



When the fishery for the season, in the opinion 

 of the British whalers, has altogether ceased, it ap- 

 pears from the observations of the Dutch *, that it 

 may frequently be recommenced in the autumn, at the 

 verge of the most northern waters, near Hackluyt's 

 Headland. They consider the fish which then appear 

 as the same tribe that are seen in this place in the 

 spring of the year, and enter the ice immediately 

 after it opens in the north. On the recommence- 

 ment of the frost, they instinctively return, to pre- 

 vent themselves being enclosed so far within the 

 ice, as to occasion suffocation from the freezing up 

 of the openings through which they might other- 

 wise breathe. In consequence of this, together with 

 the dangers attending the northern fishery in the 

 .spring, the Dutch appear to have generally prefer- 



"^ Beschryving, &c. vol. i. p. .'52. 



