AQUATIC I'KOJ^rCTS IN ARTS AND INUUdTRIES. 205 



iiiiii;' [)ui-p()we«. G, 450 porpoise secured on tlie North Cui'oliiui eoast in 

 1887 yieUUnl 10,400 gallons of body oil; 2,2X3 porpoise in ISSO yielded 

 3,807 o-allons, and 1,747 in 1890 furnished 2,74r) oallons. 



This oil is pale yellow to brown in color, and has a sliglit fishy 

 odor, which disappears on exposure to air. The specific gravity, 

 according to Hrannt, is 0.918 at 59° F., and it congeals at about 3" F. 

 When fresh it is indifferent to litmus paper, but absorbs acid proper- 

 ties from the air. It is used for tanning purposes and in compound- 

 ing with mineral lubi'icating oils. 



The siierm-whalers of the Atlantic occasionally harpoon llatteras 

 Ijorpoise from the bow of the vessel and lift them aboard for food pur- 

 poses. In many cases the blubber of these is removed and tried-out 

 for oil. This blubber is of a j^ellowish white or pearl color, varies in 

 thickness from | to 1| inches, and is of about the same texture as that 

 of the beluga or white whale. It. is cut in longitudinal strips 4 or 5 

 inches wide, minced, and placed in the try-pots witli other blubber. 

 The yield of oil is usually less than 2 gallons to each animal, conse- 

 quently the whalers do not often render it. 



From the jaw-pans of porpoise taken more particularly for food, the 

 whalers obtain the highly renowned "porpoise-jaw oil," which is used 

 for fine lubricating purposes. The lower jaw is removed from the 

 head, the pans extracted therefrom with a knife, minced, and placed 

 in a small tin, such as a meat-can, and placed on the stove to simmer 

 or boil gently. The quantity of oil obtained from each jaw is very 

 small, probably about one-half pint, and the total quantity secured 

 by the whaling fleet of New Bedford probably does not exceed 5 or 6 

 gallons annually, the market price of which is upward of $6 or $8 

 per gallon. 



Some years ago the Passamaquoddy Indians on the Maine coast cap- 

 tured numbers of porpoise. Indeed, at one time that fishery furnished 

 their principal means of support. As the animals were taken mostly 

 during the Avinter and inshore, where food is abundant, they v/ere 

 very fat. The largest individuals measure about 7 feet in length and 

 5 feet in girth, weighing 300 pounds or more. The blubber of a large 

 porpoise is from 1 to 2 inches thick and weighs 75 pounds and upward, 

 yielding 5 or 6 gallons of oil, but the average for all taken was only 2 

 or 3 gallons. In the primitive method employed by the Indians, the 

 blubber is stripped off and cut into small pieces, which are placed in 

 a large pot. Inside a semicircle of large stones a fire is made, and 

 when the stones are hot the fire is scattered and the pot containing 

 the fat suspended over the stones and sufficient fire kept up to insure 

 the melting of the blubber. The oil rising to the surface is skimmed 

 off and placed in suitable receptacles. This oil, when pure, formerly 

 sold for 60 to 80 cents per gallon, but was frequently adulterated with 

 seal oil and sold at less price. It gives an excellent light, and also is 

 good for lubricating machinery, as it is free from sticky characteristics 

 and has quite a low weather- test. The superior oil in the jaw-pans is 



