THE KILLER, OR GRAMPUS 1225 



resistance to the assaults of its merciless destroyers. The attack of these wolves of 

 the ocean upon their gigantic prey may be likened in some respects to a pack of 

 hounds holding a stricken deer at bay. They cluster about the animal's head, some 

 of their number breaching over it, while others seize it by the lips and draw the 

 bleeding monster under water, and when captured, should the mouth be open, they 

 eat out its tongue. We once saw an attack made by three killers upon a cow whale 

 and her calf, in a lagoon on the coast of California, in the spring of 1858. The 

 whale was of the California gray species, and her young was grown to three times 

 the bulk of the largest killers engaged in the contest, which lasted for an hour or 

 more. They made alternate assaults upon the old whale and her offspring, finally 

 killing the latter, which sank to the bottom, where the water was five fathoms deep. 

 During the struggle the mother became nearly exhausted, having -received several 

 deep wounds about the mouth and lips. As soon as their prize had settled to the 

 bottom, the three killers descended, bringing up large pieces of flesh in their mouths, 

 which they devoured after coming to the surface. While gorging themselves in 

 this wise, the old whale made her escape, leaving a track of gory water behind." 



THE KILLER. 



(From True, Bulletin of the U. S. National Museum, 1889.) 



On the ninth of September, 1893, when off the coast of Minas-Geraes, Brazil, 

 at no great distance from the islands of Abrolhos, in long. 39 W., lat. 18 S., 

 the attention of the present writer was attracted by the appearance of a whale and 

 some other creatures at a distance of apparently something less than a quarter of a 

 mile from the ship. The whale was a finner, or humpback, of no very great size, 

 and was seen spouting, and again descending. Immediately after its first descent 

 there appeared above the surface of the sea what seemed to be the tail fin of some 

 animal unknown. This supposed fin was raised in a vertical position, where it 

 remained vibrating for some seconds and then suddenly disappeared. In color it 

 was a pure glistening white; while in form it appeared to be laterally compressed, 

 with sharp edges and an acute termination. It gave the impression of belonging to 

 some animal which was engaged in attacking the whale beneath the surface, and I 

 should estimate its height above the water approximately at five or six feet. Soon 

 after the disappearance of this strange white object, the broad, black head of what I 

 presume to have been a killer was seen above the water, and in a few seconds the 

 whale itself again rose to spout. That these black animals, which appeared to be 



