32 THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. 
some have said that the whale has no arms. But the one which I saw, was of the 
manner I have said, for I went with the others in the caravel, where came also 
Father Lorenzo Martino, canon of the church of Castiglia dell’ Oro; and the pilot 
was John Cabezas; and with us came also a gentleman named Sancio di Tudela, 
with many others, who are alive and can testify the same thing, because I would 
never wish to speak of such things without witnesses. By estimate, and as it 
seemed to me, each arm of this animal might be 25 feet long and as thick as a 
barrel and the head more than 14 or 15 feet long, and very much thicker and the 
rest of the body more than as much again. 
“Tt raised itself up and that which it showed in height was more than five 
times the height of a middle-sized man, which makes 25 feet. And the fear was 
not a little that all had when with its leaps it came alongside our vessel, because 
our caravel was small. And from what we could surmise it seemed that this 
animal felt pleasure, and made holiday of the weather which was approaching ; for 
soon there arose in the sea a strong west wind, which was much to our advantage, 
for sailing along in a few days we “reached the town of Panama,” 
From the size and shape of this whale and especially from the length of its 
pectoral fins and its manner of putting its head out of water, there is strong prob- 
ability that it was a Humpback whale. 
In 1539 Francis Ulloa cruised along the Pacific coast of Central America, 
penetrated the Gulf of California, and passing out of it again proceeded to Cerros 
Island. In his passage around Cape St. Lucas he encountered a large school of 
whales, which he refers to as follows: 
“Before we came to this point of the haven of Santa Cruz [in the Gulf of Cali- 
fornia] by six or seven leagues, we saw on the shore between certain valleys divers 
great smokes. And having passed the point of this port our Captain thought 
it good to launch forth into the maine ocean, yet although we ran a swift course, 
about 500 whales came athwart of us in 2 or 3 skulles [schools] within one houre’s 
space, which were so huge, as it was wonderful, and some of them came so neere 
unto the ship, that they swam under the same from one side to another, whereupon 
we were in great feare, lest they should doe us some hurt, but they could not 
because the ship had a prosperous and good winde, and made much way, whereby 
it could receive no harme, although they touched and strooke the same. 
In the account of Viscaino’s voyages along the outer coast of Lower California 
in 16038, given by Torquemada,’ it is mentioned that the aia de Ballenas, or Bay 
of Whales, was so named by the explorer on account of the numbers of whales 
seen there. This was in July, 1602. 
There are, according to H. H. Bancroft, but four voyages to be comprised 
under the title of early voyages for the discovery of California. These are Ferrelo’s 
voyage, 1543; Drake’s voyage, 1579; Gali’s voyage, 1584; and Viscaino and Agui- 
lar’s voyage, 1603. An examination of the accounts of the first three fails to reveal 
any mention of whales, but in Viscaino’s voyage of 1603 these animals were en- 
*Ramusio, Navigationi et Viaggi, 3, p. 156. 
* Op. ctt., PP. 353-354. Translation from Hakluyt, 3, pp. 423-424. 
* TORQUEMADA, Monarchia Indiana, 1, 1723, p. 702. 
