THE "SPOUTING'' OF WHALES. 75 



had that been desirable. Mr. Bartlett tells me that he was 

 greatly astonished by the immense force of the sudden out- 

 rush of air from their blow-holes, and the noise by which it 

 was accompanied. He believes that the blast was strong 

 enough to blow a man off the spiracle if he were seated on 

 it. He authorizes me to say that having seen and watched 

 these whales under such favourable circumstances, he 

 entirely agrees with all that I have here written concerning 

 the so-called " spout." The volume of hot, vaporous breath 

 expelled is enormous, and this is accompanied by no small 

 quantity of water, forced up by it when the blow-hole is 

 opened below the surface. 



An effect similar in appearance to the whale's spout is 

 produced by the breathing of the hippopotamus. When 

 this great beast opens its nostrils beneath the surface, 

 water and spray are driven and scattered upward by the 

 force of the air, but, of course, do not issue from the nasal 

 passages. I have, also, seen this effect produced, though 

 in a less degree, by the breathing of sea-lions. 



I repeat, therefore, that not a drop of sea-water enters or 

 passes out of the blow-hole of a whale. If the spiracle 

 valve were in a condition to allow it to do so the animal 

 would soon be drowned. Everyone knows the extreme 

 irritation and the horrible feeling of suffocation caused to 

 a human being, whilst eating or drinking, by a crumb or a 

 little liquid " going the wrong way " — that is, being acci- 

 dentally drawn to the air-passages instead of passing to the 

 oesophagus. If water were to enter the bronchi of a whale 

 it would instantly produce similar discomfort. 



The neck of a popular error is hard to break ; but it is 

 time that one so palpable as that concerning the " spout- 

 ing " of whales should cease to be promulgated and dis- 

 seminated by fanciful illustrations of instructive books. 



