Tht White Whale. 15 



on the cheek — of the operator under the palm of the hand. Thus the 

 thread was spun about a foot at a time and weund upon the fingers, the 

 fine ends of each fresh portion being twisted in with those of the previous 

 ones. The thread produced by this simple process is singularly fine, even, 

 and strong,' and would make a good substitute for gut-line for fishing pur- 

 poses. 



The blabber, which is from one and a half to three inches 'thick, and 

 looks like pork fiit, produces a very superior kind of oil, and it is said that a 

 good deal of it is sold as cod-liver oil. Animal oils are now so skilfully 

 treated and clai'ified, that much of their unpleasant odour and flavour may be 

 removed, if they have not been allowed to become wholly or partly putrid 

 befoi'e importation ; and there is probably no more nutriment in the oil of the 

 cod's liver than in that obtained from the blubber of the cetacea. The flavour 

 of the latter in its crude state is, however, most nauseous, but there are 

 some persons who find no difficulty in overcoming their dislike to it. I 

 remember accompanying my father one day, when I was a youngster, to the 

 Hudson's Bay Company's warehouse, whilst the miscellaneous products of 

 their territories were on show previous to one of their periodical sales. There 

 were bison tongues and reindeer tongues, goose-quilla and feathers, 

 walrus tusks and whalebone, isinglass and castorum, and, amongst the rest, 

 seal-oil and whale-oil of various qualities, samples of which were arranged in 

 phials on a table. They were as dark in colour as brown sherry, and the 

 odour of them was rancid enough to make the air feel greasy ; but, to my 

 surprise, I saw a handsome old gentleman — a merchant of the old school — 

 tasting them one after another with apparent gusto, and smacking his lips over 

 each as ho obtained its full flavour on tongue and palate, as if it were a glass 

 of fine old port. ;- Noticing the look of astonishment — perhaps of disgust — on 

 my face, he turned to me and said with a smile, " Well, my lad, I suppose you 

 think I am a nasty old fellow ; but I assure you that these oils are not ofiensive 

 to me. To taste them is my business, and I am i;sed to it. Egad, I like it ! " 

 And the cheery old boy went on sipping away at his samples, and pondering over 

 the taste of each, with his head on one side like a jackdaw in thought. 



Mentioned last, but not the least useful portion of the Beluga, is its skin. 

 This, as well as the tail and fins, is regarded as a delicacy, and is eaten 

 either raw, dried, boiled, or pickled. It is said to be more delicate and tender 

 than that of any other whale. But the skin of the Mysticetus, the Greenland, 

 or Right Whale, is also a great treat to the Esquimaux. It is about three- 

 quarters of an inch thick, and looks like solid india-rubber. Poor F. C. 

 Hall, of the " Polaris," whilst in training with his Innuits in 1860-1862, was 

 often obliged to subsist on it, and many entries in his diary tell of his 

 appreciation of it. He says: "The 'black skin' is good eating in its 

 raw state, as I know from experience. When boiled and soused in vinegar it 

 is most excellent. When prepared as pigs' feet are in the States, it is 



luxurious At supper I ate heartily of raw, frozen whale-hide. 



On rising I took two ounces of raw whale-skin for my breakfast ; I 



would gladly have eaten two pounds, could I have had it." But if the 

 skin of the ]3eluga is a tender and succulent viand when soused in vinegar, it 

 becomes a tough and durable leather when soaked in tanning liqueur. It is 

 generally supposed that the " porpoise-hido " leather, found to be so excelleub 



