

CETACEANS. 179 



breeding season obtains, as we observed sucking calves 

 during the entire eight months in the year we were 

 engaged in cruising. The female produces one at a 

 birth, but occasionally twins, as is usual with uniparous 

 animals. She brings forth her young in the open ocean, 

 and indiscriminately, on whatever spot the school may 

 chance to be at the time of her parturition. The calf 

 accompanies the school as soon as it is born. During a 

 chase, it was often exceedingly interesting to observe 

 sucklings, apparently but a few days old, leaping actively 

 and spouting high by the side of their dams, and keep- 

 ing up wonderfully well with the rapid pace of the 

 retreating party. 



Intelligent whalers, who have occasionally seen the 

 female Cachalot in the act of suckling her young, agree 

 very closely in their descriptions of this process. They 

 state, that the mother reposes upon her side, with 

 the pectoral fin raised above the surface of the sea, 

 while the calf, which is thus enabled to retain its 

 spiracle in the air, receives the protruded nipple within 

 the angle of the mouth a part where it is reasonable to 

 suppose that the tongue would also be found of some 

 assistance. 



The male Cachalot takes no part in the care of his 

 offspring ; and I have reason to believe, that the female 

 is less remarkable for maternal affection than the Green- 

 land whale is represented to be. When pursued by 

 boats, the mother whale will keep in the rear of the 

 school, retarding her pace to accommodate the calf which 

 leaps by her side, and thus far expose herself to some 

 danger for its sake ; but other facts which I observed, 

 are rather opposed to the opinion that she will make 

 any strenuous or romantic efforts in defence of her 

 young, or sacrifice her life for its safety. The whaler 



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