A STARVED CALF. 191 



ever, not to kill the young calves, ''as it was a 

 aseles waste of life," so said the mate of the 

 Bodgers, "and besides had a tendency to excite 

 the cow whale." 



1 thought it would have been the part of mercy 

 to kill the calves after dispatching the mother, 

 inasmuch as they were not yet old enough to get 

 their own living, and would most likely starve to 

 death. 



As we were pulling about in the lower bay one 

 morning, a great white -watering attracted our 

 attention. Some suggested that two whales were 

 fighting, others that a school were enjoying them- 

 selves. But on approaching the object of our curi- 

 osity we found it to be a little bull humpback, one 

 of those inveterate runners whom we scarce ever 

 cared to attack, endeavoring to drive off one of 

 the calves whose dam we had killed several days 

 before. The little thing had become half starved, 

 and was endeavoring to find the wherewithal to 

 satisfy its hunger. As it approached the whale, 

 he would wheel round and strike at it with his 

 flukes, sometimes hitting, but oftener missing it. 

 His short loud spouts showed clearly that he was 

 in some consternation, and did not quite understand 

 the maneuvers of his troubler. 



The captain of the James Eodgers, who was 

 an old hand at humpbacking, had informed us 

 that when chasing a bull humpback, if we could 

 get so close upon him as that he could not turn 

 flakes, we could easily get fast, as then he would 



