92 MARINE MAMMALS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN COAST. 
Farther northward, among the icy regions, the Orca delights in the pursuit 
and destruction of the White Whale, or Beluga, and in robbing the walrus of its 
helpless offspring. The tender flesh and rich fat of the White Whale furnishes them 
with choice food : but, as if not content with satiating their own greed, they seem 
to aim at the total destruction of their victims, by tearing the whole animal into 
fragments. Captain Holboll writes of the Greenland Killers as follows: "In the 
year 1827, I was myself an eye-witness of a great slaughter performed by these 
rapacious animals. A shoal of belugas had been pursued by these blood-thirsty 
animals into a bay in the neighborhood of Godhaven, and were there literally torn 
to pieces by them. Many more of the belugas were killed than eaten ; so that the 
Greenlanders, besides their own booty, got a good share of that of the Killers." 
It has been said that even the full-grown walrus, although armed with long 
tusks, is fearful of the Orca ; but in relation to that, we have nothing in our notes 
of observation to substantiate the assertion. It is true, the ponderous creatures 
will crawl upon the ice with their little ones to avoid the Killers, but it seems 
to be only for the purpose of keeping their cherished young beyond the reach of 
their enemies. Sometimes the cub will mount upon its mother's back for refuge, 
clinging to it with instinctive solicitude. When in this apparently safe position, 
the rapacious Orca quickly dives, and, coming up under the parent animal, with a 
spiteful thud throws the young one from the dam's back into the water, when in 
a twinkling it is seized, and, with one crush, devoured by its adversary. 
Compared with other species of the Dolphin tribe, the Orcas are not numer- 
ous, neither do they usually go in large shoals or schools, like the porpoises and 
Blackfish. Their mating season, or time of gestation, is a matter of conjecture ; 
probably in this respect they are similar to the Sperm Whale. We have met with 
them in midwinter, in the Gulf of Georgia and along the northern coast as far as 
Sitka, as often as at other seasons of the year, showing plainly that they are not 
confined to warm latitudes, nor migrate from the colder climates during the rigor- 
ous months. They are seldom captured by civilized whalemen, as their varied and 
irregular movements make the pursuit difficult, and the product of oil is even less 
than that of the Blackfish, in proportion to their size. The Makah Indians, how- 
ever, occasionally pursue and take them about Cape Flattery, in Washington Terri- 
tory, as they consider their flesh and fat more luxurious food than the larger 
bakenas, or rorquals. But, in whatever quarter of the world the Orcas are found, 
they seem always intent upon seeking something to destroy or devour. 
