Whale Fishing on the Coast of North Carolina 73 
in conjunction with red cedar wood 
(the common growth on the banks), in 
keeping up the fire under the pots. On 
the kettles the 
the leeward side of 
HO WO SurAsy 
Nae 
hbal =o 
EceGe 
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Ky SRN 
WN 
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ua 
yi 
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wh 
i 
steam from the boiling oil, combined 
with the thick smoke of the burning 
crackling, makes the smell one to be 
remembered. 









The right or black whale (alena 
cisarctica) is the species chiefly caught 
by the North Carolina whalers. While 
not yielding as much bone or oil as the 
great Arctic bowhead, nor 
as high-priced oil as the 
sperm whale, yet, next to 
these, it is the most valu- 
able of allthe whales. Its 
color 1s a dense shining 
ivory black abave, while 
below, the color and ap- 
pearance is that of the pur- 
est polished white ivory, 
the white often extending 
some distance up the sides. 
Sometimes it is pied below 
and the amount of white 
is very variable, and some- 
times, again, pure black 
{| specimens are killed, show- 
\\ ing no white at all. The 
line between the colors is 
always sharply defined, al- 
though the dividing line 
\ 2 ish very “irresular: . ‘There 
is no shading between the 
black and white and the 








i\ color extends clear through 
WN \\\\, the skin to the pink blub- 
£ ber below, whether the 
l color be black or white. 
-\ The white-bellied whales 
yield the most oil, and 
they usually have a patch 
ag of white on the tip of each 
fluke, so that if only the 
flukes are seen as the whale 
goes down, the fishermen 
can often tell whether or 
not it is a _ white-belly 
that they are pursuing. 
The bull is about the same size as the 
cow, but is more slender and does not 
yield quite as much oil. The whale- 
bone of commerce is a horny substance 



