i;v w. Lor)p:\VYK chowthku. n.s.o.. m r.. 149 



A Diagram altaclicd illustrates tlvsc various grounds. 

 The Captains of the ship worked as a rule from ground to 

 groulnd. In a log of the 'O'-hcUo, ' Capt. A. B. Robinson, 

 every one of the four was visited in turn, resulting in au 

 excellent catch. 



In the ship s log entries were; made of all whales seen 

 from the masthead, with special notes for Sperm. 



One reads from day to day of the following having 

 been sighted: — Sperm, llumpuack, Finback, Sulphur bot- 

 tom, Black Fish, Killers, Grampus, Cow fi.sh, and Sunfish. 

 The two first named only wire pursued by the Tasmanian 

 ships. 



The Sperm whales moved singly or in " pods, " i.e., 

 groups of two or three with Bulls on tho outside. The 

 Sperm whale was ajjproached very quietly from behind, 

 and made fast by one or more lancLS bci/ig darted into 

 him. Once fast more were secured to the whale until 

 it was dead. The Boats steerer who "darted ' the lances 

 endeavoured to make fast well forward and to avoid hitting 

 a rib. If not secured in a vital spot the whale either 

 sounded or ran, and in the former case might go so deeply 

 aa to take all the lines and then be lost. Bombs from 

 guns were used as well as lances, in order to kill the whale. 



The Right whale was approached head to head by the 

 boats crew. Oik c killrd the boats crew waited for th'^ 

 ship 'to run down to them and make fast to the whale, and 

 the '"cutting-in" commenced. The first stage was to re- 

 move the whale's head and get it en board. This was 

 done, because in the Sperm whale one third of the total 

 quantity of Oil is found in the h:ad. The la1t?r con- 

 sisted of two paiis — the "Case" and the "Junk. ' 



7'fie "Case" contained the clear oil and head matter. 

 This was called (he "Spermaceti " (Spermatozoa of the 

 Whale) under misapprehension as to its function. It was 

 contained in a boney cavity outside the cranium proper. 

 The oil from the case is a clear amber colour- and amounts 

 to one third of the total from the whale. A hole was cut 

 into the cavity and the oil bailed direct into baiTcls placed 

 for that puq^ose on riihcr sid? of the gauf^way. From 

 these barrels it was taken to the "Try Works " and used 

 later to commence the process of trying out. 



7'/ii' ".lunk." The remaining portion of th? head 

 contained a large amount of Oil in its cellular tissues, 

 which was comparable to Tlonev in the Comb. This sub- 

 stance the Sailors called ''white horse." The Junk when 



