94 siiauk's bay. 



about twenty feet long, and as thick as a man's arm ; 

 and as the season advanced we saw many of them. 



At another time we were startled from inactivity 

 to see a strange monster, which the boatsteerer on 

 the maintopgallant cross-trees, on being questioned, 

 could give no explanation of; and it certainly did 

 present an appearance diiierent from anything I had 

 previously seen. I was prepared to log the advent 

 of a hitherto undescribed, and, at present, indescriba- 

 ble inhabitant of the deep, when my romance was 

 knocked in the head by the captain, who, at the 

 height of the excitement, stepped to the rail, saw it, 

 and immediately decided that it was a young fin- 

 back whale scooping up its food, which it did by 

 swimming along with extended jaws. 



We had now gradually worked up to the north- 

 ward, until ^ye had arrived on our cruising ground 

 for the season. This ground is off Shark's bay, and 

 extends between twenty and twenty-three degrees of jj 



South latitude, and from one hundred and seven to i 



one hundred and ten degrees of East longitude. It 

 bears the reputation of a profitable locality for whalers 

 to cruise in. The bay derives its name from the pre- 

 sence of myriads of enormous sharks, and all over 

 the ground, when a whale is alongside, thousands 

 may be seen surrounding the ship, tearing ofi' pieces 

 of blubber from the whale, and revelling in his 

 blood. They will bite at anything. I have seen 

 them pursue our Avooden buoy, which is used for 

 attaching the hawser to the whale's flukes, as it 

 gradually arose to the surface of the water, and 

 attempt to crush it between their hideous jaws; and 

 after finding they could make no impression upon it, 



