THE WHITE WHALE 



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longed. Sometimes these animals will gambol about vessels as porpoises do; but at 

 the slightest noise upon the water, or at the discharge of firearms, they instantly 

 disappear. ' ' This species is fairly rapid in its motions, more especially in pursuit 

 of the fish which constitute its chief food. When pursuing fish like halibut and 

 flounders, the beluga frequently enters shoal water, in which it can scarcely float; 

 but in such situations it is said to exhibit no alarm, and to make but slight efforts 

 to reach deeper waters. In addition to fish, the white whale also consumes cuttles 

 and various crustaceans. 



THE WHITE WHAI.E. 

 (One-twenty-sixth natural size.) 



In captivity the beluga is easily tamed, and exhibits considerable docility. A 

 specimen was shown alive at the Westminster Aquarium in 1877, and another in 

 1878; but neither lived long. 



Products The White whale is killed for its blub ber, flesh, and hide; a specimen 



measuring sixteen and one-half feet in length, yielded one hundred 

 gallons of oil. To give some idea of the commercial importance of this animal, it 

 nay be mentioned that in 1871, the Tromsoe whalers captured no less than 2, 167 in- 

 dividuals, each of which was worth about fifteen dollars; the catch that year appears, 



however, to have been considerably above the average. The Greenlanders dry the 

 III 77 



