THE SULPUURBOTTOM WHALE. 
71 
A Sulphurbottom whale is found in the Atlantic as well as in the Pacific. 
The Pacific species occurs at all seasons on the coasts of the Californias. During 
the months from May to September, inclusive, they are often found in large num- 
bers close in with the shore, at times playing about ships at anchor in the open 
roadsteads, near islands, or capes, but as a general rule they do not approach ves- 
sels with the same boldness that the Finback does, although we have observed 
them following in a vessel's wake for several leagues.* 
* Through, the kindness of Doctor J. D. B. 
Stillman, of San Francisco, Cal., we give the 
following extracts from his journal of a voyage 
between that port and Realejo, Central America, 
in 1850, in relation to a Sulphurbottom which 
followed the ship Plymouth, in which the Doctor 
sailed, for twenty -four consecutive days. The 
account is as follows: " November 13th : We are 
witnesses of a very remarkable exhibition of the 
social disposition of the whale. A week ago to- 
day, we passed several, and during the after- 
noon it was discovered that one of them contin- 
ued to follow us, and was becoming more famil- 
iar, keeping under the ship and only coming 
out to breathe. A great deal of uneasiness was 
felt, lest in his careless gambols he might un- 
ship our rudder, or do us some other damage. 
It was said that bilge -water would drive him 
off, and the pumps were started, but to no pur- 
pose. At length more violent means were re- 
sorted to; volley after volley of rifle-shots were 
fired into him, billets of wood, bottles, etc., 
were thrown upon his head with such force as 
to separate the integument ; to all of which he 
paid not the slightest attention, and he still 
continued to swim under us, keeping our exact 
rate of speed, whether in calm or storm, and 
rising to blow almost into the cabin windows. 
He seems determined to stay with us until he 
can find better company. His length is about 
eighty feet ; his tail measures about twelve feet 
across ; and in the calm, as we look down into 
the transparent water, we see him in all his 
huge proportions. November 29th: The bark 
Mrkwood hove ia sight, and bore down to speak 
us. When off a mile or two to leeward, our 
whale left us and went to her, but returned 
soon after. He showed great restlessness last 
night; and to-day, whenever we stood off on 
the outward tack, he kept close below us, and 
rose just under our quarter, and most commonly 
to windward, to blow. But whenever we stood 
toward the land he invariably hung back and 
showed discontent. This afternoon he left us. 
It is now twenty -four days since he attached 
himself to us, and during that time he has fol- 
lowed us as faithfully as a dog an emigrant's 
wagon. At first we abused him in every way 
that our ingenuity could devise to drive him off, 
lest he might do us some mischief ; but, save 
some scratches he received from our ship's cop- 
pering, and numerous sloughing sores, caused 
by the balls that had been fired into him, no 
damage was received by either of us from his 
close companionship, though our white paint 
was badly stained by the impurity of his breath. 
We long since ceased our efforts to annoy him, 
and had become attached to him as to a dog. 
We had named him 'Blowhard,' and even fan- 
cied, as we called him, that he came closer 
under our quarter, when I felt like patting his 
glabrous sides, and saying : ' Good old fellow. ' 
As the water grew shoater he left us, with re- 
gret unfeigned on our part, and apparently so 
on his. This story of the whale is so remark- 
able, that were there not so many witnesses, I 
would not venture to tell it, lest I be accused 
of exaggeration. There were a number of ex- 
perienced whalemen among our passengers, who 
said the animal was a 'Sulphurbottom.'" 
