MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 



563 



of other whales. He is of a 

 brownish colour on the back, and 

 white under the belly; he is of 

 different sizes, from fifty to 

 seventy feet long. 



Then conies the white fish, 

 whose shape is not unlike that of 

 the great bay whale, having 

 no fins upon the back, but 

 underneath two large ones ; the 

 tail like a whale ; his spouts, 

 through which he breathes and 

 throws out the water, are the 

 same ; he has likewise a bunch 

 on the head : his colour is of a 

 fading yellow ; he is commonly 

 from twelve to sixteen feet in 

 length, and is exceeding fat. The 

 train of his blubber is as clear as 

 the clearest oil : his flesh as well 

 as the fat has no bad taste, and 

 when it is marinated with vinegar 

 and salt, it is as well tasted 

 as any pork v/hatsoever. The fins 

 also and the tail, pickled or 

 sauced, are good eating. This 

 fish is so far from being shy, 

 that whole droves are seen about 

 the ships at sea : the Green- 

 landers catch numbers of them, 

 of which they make grand cheer, j 



There is yet another smaller 

 sort of whales, called but-heads, 

 from the form of its head, which 

 at the snout is flat, like a but's 

 end : he has a fin upon his back 

 towards the tail, and two side 

 fins : his tail is like to that of a 

 whale. In the hinder part of the 

 head he has a pipe to fetch air, 

 and spout the water through, 

 which he does not spout out with 

 that force the whale does : his 

 size is from fourteen to twenty 

 feet : he follows ships under sail 

 with a fair wind, and seems to 

 run for a wager with them ; 

 whereas, on the contrary, other 



whales avoid and fly from them. 

 Their jumping, as well as that of 

 fishes and sea animals, forebodes 

 boisterous and stormy weather. 



The sea horse or morse has 

 the shape of a seal, though much 

 larger and stronger. He has 

 five claws on each of his feet, as 

 the seal : liis head rounder and 

 larger. His skin ig an inch 

 thick, especially about the neck, 

 very rough, rugged and wrinkled, 

 covered with a short, brown, and 

 sometimes reddish, or mouse- 

 coloured hair. Out of his upper 

 jaw there grow two large teeth 

 or tusks, bended downwards 

 over the under jaw, of the length 

 of half a yard, and sometimes of 

 a whole yard and more. These 

 tusks are esteemed as much as 

 elephants' teeth ; they are com- 

 pact and solid, but hollow to- 

 wards the root. His mouth is 

 not unlike that of a bull, covered 

 above and beneath with strong 

 bristles as big as a straw : his 

 nostrils are placed above his 

 mouth, as those of the seal: his 

 eyes are fiery red, which he can 

 turn on all sides, not being able 

 to turn his head, by reason of 

 the shortness and thickness of 

 his neck. The tail resembles a 

 seal's tail, being thick and short : 

 his fat is like hog's lard. He lies 

 commonly upon the ice shoals, 

 and can live a good while on 

 shore, till hunger drives him back 

 into the seas; his nourishment 

 being both herbs and fishes : he 

 snores very loud, when he sleeps; 

 and when he is provoked to anger, 

 he roars like a mad bull. It is a 

 very bold and fierce creature, 

 and they assist each other, when 

 attacked, to the last. He is 

 continually at war with the white 



2 o 2 bear, 



