Mr A. H. Guerin on the Bock-Nose Whale. 267 



the inside of the bay. In its passage south, the last men- 

 tioned whale goes either in shoals, single, or, as I have seen 

 occasionally, in pairs, when the two seem to act in concei-t, 

 coming to the surface of the water and sinking at the same 

 instant. 



There is a strange peculiarity in the habits of the Rock- 

 nose, from which it has received its rather curious, though 

 very expressive and appropriate name. It frequently places 

 the extremity of its head, or nose as the whalers call it, close 

 to the shore, upon a rock, or on the steep and stony bottom, 

 with its spiracles, and part of its head and body above the 

 surface of the water, and there remains perfectly motionless 

 for several minutes. I have seen several of them in that 

 position ; and on one occasion, a pair of them, within a few 

 feet of each other, remained as just described, for more than 

 ten minutes. Though they were within a hundred yards of 

 the ship, the breathing was so slow and easy, as neither to be 

 perceived nor heard. All our boats, except the stern boat, 

 were away ; this last was immediately lowered, brought 

 alongside, manned, and sent in chase ; but still, after all 

 these preparations, which took a long time, it was not till 

 the harpooner stood up, with harpoon in hand, ready to 

 strike, that the whales began to move ; which they did so 

 swiftly as to be out of sight in an instant, and were not 

 seen again. This happened at the beginning of our long stay 

 in Cape Searl Sound. It is the opinion of the whalers that 

 when in this position, the Rock-nose is feeding. This, how- 

 ever, I can scarcely believe, as I never perceived the slio-htest 

 motion of the jaws or the head of the animal ; on the con- 

 trary, the whole frame, as far as could be judged by the parts 

 above water, was perfectly motionless. I therefore think it 

 more probable that the Rock-nose is then resting itself, 

 being enabled by its position, to breathe more at ease, with 

 less effort, and, consequently, be the more ready to renew 

 its exertions either to feed or proceed farther to the south. 



1 have also to remark that the period of the emigration of 

 the Rock-nose seems somewhat different from that of the 

 true Mysticetus ; the last-mentioned, setting out on its way 

 south during the first fortnight of September ; whiUt the for- 



