SCARCITY OF SPERM WHALES. 129 



in pursuit of humpbacks, and lost an anchor there ; 

 the captain had also there rigged a bomb-gun, so aa 

 to discharge a harpoon, but on putting it into opera- 

 tion shattered his hand. 



Doing nothing in the Bight, and being assured of 

 the scarcity of sperm whales on its grounds, we took 

 our departure for the westward. We had counted 

 largely on this season's operations — forgetting the 

 old maxim of not reckoning chickens before they 

 are hatched. We saw sperm whales but once during 

 the season, and then failed to make a capture. We 

 were, without palliation, skunked : our whole addi- 

 tions being a porpoise and cowfish. The latter fish 

 is of the same species as the porpoise, only differing 

 from it in size, it being considerably larger; its flesh 

 is coarser and not so good eating. 



During our cruise we were continually in sight of 

 some one or more islands of the Recherche Archi- 

 pelago. These islands are uninhabited and almost 

 barren — the only green appearance being a stunted 

 brushwood. Around these islands the seal is found 

 in great numbers, and small craft resort to them for 

 the purpose of capturing these sea-dogs. Several of 

 the ships lowered their boats, which went in, and 

 stated that they caught numbers of fine fish. 



Steering to the westward we sighted Bald Island 

 and Bald head, and cruised in their neighborhood for 

 several weeks, seeing sperm whales once, but, after 

 a hard day's chase, giving up the pursuit as futile. 

 One Sunday, at daybreak, the order was passed for- 

 ward to loose the flying-jib. One of the hands laying 

 out on the boom for the purpose, the foot rope parted, 

 and he was precipitated into the sea. We had had 



I 



