166 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



"Yes. Come aboard to-morrow ; I'll give you a scrap for luck." 

 The whale weut in his flurry* aud turned up nearly under the stern of 

 the Pandora, as she luffed to for her boats ; but Captain Worth could 

 not afford to lose the breeze long, and, by the time the last boat was on 

 the cranes, his helm was up and his mizzen-topsail shivering. The old 

 ship fell off' to her former course, and, setting her royal and studding 

 sails, left her more fortunate consort "alone in her glory." 



H.— INTRODUCTORY TO RETURNS. 



In making up these reports many diflflculties occur. 



1st. In the earlier years, in fact down to about the years 184:4-'45, the 

 reports of the amount of bone taken were only occasional. Most of 

 that commodity was imported prior to 1840 in New London and Sag 

 Harbor ships, its value being so low that captains of vessels from many 

 of the other ports did not care to be encumbered with it. For this rea- 

 son a large amount of bone was brought home which it is impossible 

 to properly accredit. 



2d. Oil and bone were frequently sold by vessels in foreign ports to 

 pay for repairs, of which no account appears. 



3d. Much oil and bone came home as freight which was not recorded 

 in the shipping journals, and hence does not appear in the record. In 

 many cases where it was recorded the return was made in the name of 

 some shipping agent and not of the vessel. Where one man or one 

 tirm acted as agent Ibr from two to ten ships proper credit was impos- 

 sible. Again, many cases occur where two and occasional cases where 

 even three vessels of the same name sail from the same port. Where 

 a credit to them is made, it must be made, unless the vessel is carefully 

 specified, according to the best judgment of the compiler. 



4th. Oil is sent home in casks and bone in bundles, and in many 

 cases is returned in that form. Now casks hold from two to eight bar- 

 rels, and bundles of bone are of various sizes. The estimate in such 

 cases has been founded on 4^ barrels to the cask, and 00 pounds to the 

 bundle. 



Abbreviations used : A. O. or Atl., Atlantic Ocean ; C. G. H., Cape of 

 Good Hope; P. or P. O., Pacific Ocean ; Brazil, B. B., or B. Banks, Brazil 

 Banks; Woolwich, Woolwich Bay ; Fulk., Falkland Islands ; W. I., W. 

 Ind. or West Ind., West Indies ; Peru or Chili, coast of Peru or coast 



* The head rises aud falls, and the flukes strike the surface iu rapid succession. 

 With great force it will rapidly swim iu a large circle, sometimes passing two or three 

 times around, and then closing the circuit by rolling on its side, dead. This is termed 

 the " flurry," and the ending of the tragedy is " tin out." (Nimrod of the Sea, p. 177.) 

 The food of the sperm whale consists principally of squid, aud in the agonies of his 

 "flurry" he often throws up immense pieces of undigested food, pieces half as large 

 as a whale-boat are frequently seen, and these seem to be mere fragments of the im- 

 mense marine monster to which they formerly belonged. Mr. Joseph Swaiu, of Nan- 

 tucket, relates au instance where a piece of shark swveral feet long was similarly 

 vomited up in the death-struggle of a sperm whale. 



