i86 The Story of the New England Whalers 



and revolves slowly around to gaze in all directions, 

 he is confirming his previous impressions as well 

 as exploring new fields. When attacked without 

 previous warning the unfortunate animal is, of 

 course, too badly startled to take a survey of the 

 whole face of the sea, but it may it frequently 

 does, in fact see an enemy in each of its fields 

 of vision, while at times more than one is seen 

 in each. It is thus that the whale is "gallied," 

 according to Melville, who says : 



"It may be an idle whim, but it has always 

 seemed to me that the extraordinary vacillations of 

 movement displayed by some whales when beset 

 by three or four boats; the timidity and liability 

 to queer frights so common to such whales I 

 think all this indirectly proceeds from the helpless 

 perplexity of vision volition in which their divided 

 and diametrically opposite powers of vision must 

 involve them." 



Still smaller than the eye is the ear of a whale. 

 The external opening of the ear in the sperm is 

 near and behind the eye, "and into the hole itself 

 you can hardly insert a quill, so wondrously 

 minute is it." The right whale ear is not only 



