WHALE. 



jaw is furnished with transverse layers of a horny 

 substance, called baleen or whalebone, which, at the 

 edges, split into long, slender fringes. This species 

 is productive of more oil than any other ; arid, be- 

 ing less active, slower in its motion, and more timid 

 than the rest of its kind of similar magnitude, is 

 more easily captured. When fully grown, its length 

 is from fifty to sixty-five feet, rarely, if ever, reach- 

 ing seventy, and its greatest circumference from 

 thirty to forty: the ordinary weight is about seventy 

 tons. When the mouth is open, it presents a ca- 

 vity large enough to contain a boat full of men, 

 being six or eight feet wide, ten or twelve high in 

 front, and fifteen or sixteen long. These animals 

 have no voice, but in breathing or blowing, make a 

 very loud noise : the vapour they discharge is 

 ejected to the height of some yards, and appears, at 

 a distance, like a puff of smoke. The usual rate at 

 which they swim seldom exceeds four miles an hour ; 

 and though their extreme velocity may be at the 

 rate of eight or nine, this speed never continues 

 longer than for a few minutes before it relaxes to 

 almost one half. They are also capable of ascend- 

 ing with such rapidity as to leap entirely out of the 

 water, which feat they sometimes perform apparently 

 as an amusement, to the no small terror of inex- 

 perienced fishers. Sometimes they throw them- 

 selves into a perpendicular posture, with their heads 

 downwards, and, rearing their tails on high, beat 

 the water with tremendous violence : the sea is 

 then thrown into foam, and the air filled with va- 

 pours : the noise, in calm weather, is heard to a 

 great distance, and the concentric waves, produced 

 by the concussions on the water, are communicated 

 abroad to a considerable extent. Sometimes the 

 whale shakes its mighty tail in the air, which, 

 cracking like a whip, resounds to the distance of 

 two or three miles. Whales usually remain at the 

 surface to breathe about two minutes, seldom 

 longer, during which time they "blow" eight or 

 nine times, and then descend for an interval of five 

 or ten minutes, but sometimes, when feeding, fif- 

 teen or twenty. When struck, they have been 

 known to descend to the perpendicular depth of a 

 mile, and with such velocity, that instances have 

 occurred in which they have broken their jaw- 

 bones by the blow struck against the bottom. 

 Their food consists of mollusca, shrimps, and other 

 small crustaceous animals. When feeding, they 

 swim with considerable velocity, below the surface, 

 with the jaws widely extended ; a stream of water 

 consequently enters the capacious mouth, bearing 

 along large quantities of marine insects. The water 

 escapes again at the sides, but the food is entangled 

 and strained by the whalebone, which, from its 

 compact arrangement, does not allow a particle of 

 the size of the smallest grain to escape. Whales, 

 though often found in great numbers together, can 

 scarcely be said to be gregarious, occurring, most 

 generally, solitary, or in pairs, excepting when 

 drawn to the same spot by the attraction of an 

 abundance of palatable food, or a choice situation 

 of the ice. They occur most abundantly in the 

 frozen seas of Greenland, and Davis's straits, in 

 Baffin's and Hudson's bays, in the sea to the north- 

 ward of Beering's straits, and along some parts of 

 the northern shores of Asia, and probably of Ame- 

 rica. They are never met with in the German 

 ocean, and rarely within two hundred leagues of 

 the British coast ; bifc along the coasts of Africa 

 and South America, they are found, periodically, in 

 considerable numbers, and are captured by the 



southern British and American whalers. It is not, 

 however, certainly ascertained, whether this spe- 

 cies is identical with the northern, though it evi- 

 dently approaches it very closely. 



The affections of the whale towards its own kind 

 appear to be strong. The fishers are in the habit 

 of taking advantage of the love of the old whale 

 for its offspring, to entice it into their snares ; and 

 the artifice often succeeds when probably, no other 

 would. The cub, though of little value in itself, 

 is struck, to induce the mother to come to its as- 

 sistance. " In this case," says Captain Scoresby, 

 " she joins it at the surface of the water, whenever 

 it has occasion to rise for respiration ; encourages 

 it to swim off; assists its flight, by taking it under 

 her fin ; and seldom deserts it while life remains. 

 She is then dangerous to approach; but affords 

 frequent opportunities for attack. She loses all 

 regard for her own safety, in anxiety for the preser- 

 vation of her young; dashes through the midst of 

 her enemies ; despises the danger that threatens 

 her; and even voluntarily remains with her off- 

 spring, after various attacks on herself from the 

 harpoons of the fishers. In June 1811, one of my 

 harpooners struck a sucker, with the hope of its 

 leading to the capture of the mother. Presently 

 she arose close by the ' fast-boat ;' and seizing the 

 young one, dragged about a hundred fathoms of line 

 out of the boat with remarkable force and velocity. 

 Again she arose to the surface ; darted furiously to 

 and fro; frequently stopped short, or suddenly 

 changed her direction, and gave every possible inti- 

 mation of extreme agony. For a length of time she 

 continued thus to act, though closely pursued by 

 the boats; and, inspired with courage and resolu- 

 tion by her concern for her offspring, seemed re- 

 gardless of the danger which surrounded her. At 

 length, one of the boats approached so near, that a 

 harpoon was hove at her. It hit, but did not at- 

 tach itself. A second harpoon was struck; this 

 also failed to penetrate : but a third was more 

 effectual, and held. Still she did not attempt to 

 escape, but allowed other boats to approach ; so 

 that, in a few minutes, three more harpoons were 

 fastened ; and in the course of an hour afterwards, 

 she was killed." 



The instruments of general use, in the capture of 

 the whale, are the harpoon and lance. The har- 

 poon is an instrument of iron, about three feet in 

 length, terminating in an arrow-shaped head, the 

 two branches of which have internally a smaller 

 reversed barb, resembling the beard of a fish-hook. 

 When this instrument is forced, by a blow, into the 

 fat of a whale, and the line is held tight, the prin- 

 cipal barbs seize the strong ligamentous fibres of 

 the blubber, and prevent it from being withdrawn. 

 The lance is a spear of iron, six feet in length, ter- 

 minating in a head of steel, made very thin and ex- 

 ceedingly sharp, seven or eight inches in length and 

 two or two and a half in breadth. These two in- 

 struments, together with lines, boats and oars, form 

 all the necessary apparatus for capturing the whale. 

 Considerable address is requisite to approach suffi 

 ciently near to the animal during its short stay at 

 the surface ; but when this has been accomplished, 

 the hardy fisher rows directly upon it, and, an in- 

 stant before the boat touches, buries the harpoon in 

 its back. But if, while the boat is at a little dis- 

 tance, the whale should indicate his intention ot 

 diving, the harpoon is thrown from the hand ; and 

 when this is done skilfully, it is efficient at the dis- 

 tance of eight or ten yards. The wounded whale 



