302 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. 



right whale just mentioned. The head differs from that of the right whale 

 in being over one-third the length of the body, very massive and high, and 

 is abruptly truncated in front. This curious development of the liead is 

 mainly caused by the bulk of fatty tissue massed in the lai'ge hollow on the 

 upper surface of the ski;ll. The weight of the skull is very gi-eat. The 

 skeleton of the specimen assembled by the writer, now on exhibition in the 

 Bishop Museum, weighs almost three thousand pounds. 



The blow-hole is placed on the anterior extremity of the head a little to 

 one side of the center, (^wing to the ciii'ious shape of the head in the sperm- 

 whale, the "hump," when the animal cdmes to the surface to blow, is in front 

 of the spray: in the right whale and the humpback, the hmnp is Ijehind the 

 spray. Owing to this difference the experienced whaler is able to identify the 

 species miles away from his ship. 



The lower jaw of the sperm-whale differs from that of the right whale in 

 being narrow and in having from twenty to twenty-five stout conical teeth six 

 or eight inches in length, that are composed of ivory of good quality. Whale 

 ivor.\- was nuich prized liy the native Ilawaiians, and used by them in tlie manu- 

 facture of the jewelry and ornaments of which mention has already been made. 



The sperm-whale is doubtless one of the most widely distrilrated of living 

 animals, being met with usually in herds or schools in almost all tropical and 

 sub-tropical seas. Its food consists mainly of si|iiid and ciittlefish, but tlie 

 larger fish are also devoiired, though how they are captured yet remains a 

 mystery. The substance known as "ambergris," formerly used in cookery and 

 medicine and now in the manufacture of perfumery, is a concretion formed in 

 the intestines of this and perhaps in other species of whales, and is occasionally 

 found floating on the surface of the sea or cast vip on the open beach. 



The right whale is pursued primarily for its whalebone, though its blubber 

 is a valuable by-product. The sperm-whale is sought for chiefly for the large 

 quantity of w^hale oil which it yields. This oil varies in color from a bright 

 honey -yellow to a dark brown, according to the part of the animal from which 

 it is taken. The best oil is that taken from the head, where it occurs as pure 

 oil and may be dipped out with a bucket. Sixty to eighty barrels of oil from 

 the head alone were not uncommon records when whaling was at its height. 



The humpback whale,''* or kohola of the Hawaiian seamen, is a large 

 species and belongs to the group characterized by the presence of a number of 

 longitudinal flutings or folds in the skin of the throat, and by the fin on the 

 back. They were formerly quite common off the Island of ^laui during the 

 winter season, and were occasionally captured and brought to land. In more 

 recent times, while both humpback and sperm-whales are seen (piite frei|nently 

 each year about the islands, but little attention is paid ti) thciii unless they 

 chance to become stranded, as occasionally happens. In ancient times all 

 whales and porpoi.ses ^'' cast ashore were the property of the alii, or chiefs, and 

 the wearing of whale-ivorv ornaments was limited to that class. 



