The Confiding ' Black Fish ' 7 1 



the rivers, a feat which the Narwhal has never been 

 known to perform. He contents himself with groping in 

 the muddy or sandy bottoms of shallow Arctic waters, 

 stirring up sluggish fish, and transfixing them with his 

 horn prior to pushing them off and swallowing them. 

 This may sound fantastic, far-fetched ; yet it was the 

 opinion of so good a man and close observer as Captain 

 William Scoresby ; and after all it is precisely what the 

 sword-fish does, on the evidence of many observers, 

 myself among the number. And what the sword-fish 

 does I am sure the Narwhal can do, being quite as agile 

 and certainly more intelligent. 



The Black Fish (Globicephalus) is a miniature sperm 

 whale to all appearance, having a huge square head, 

 and much spermaceti in it. It feeds in the same 

 regions as does the cachalot, but sometimes in enormous 

 numbers. It is one of the largest of the Dolphins, for 

 I have seen individuals weighing over six tons, and 

 yielding three to four barrels of excellent oil. While 

 not nearly so sociable as the Porpoise, using the word in 

 its sailor sense, it is a confiding beast, permitting a boat 

 to approach closely enough to harpoon it without 

 manifesting afly alarm. And when one of the school is 

 harpooned the other boats may pull up and harpoon as 

 many as they list, for an insatiable curiosity seems to 

 seize upon all the family to see whatever had befallen 

 their friends. I have often seen as many as a dozen 

 of these bulky creatures secured by four boats at one 

 lowering, and the utmost difficulty experienced in 

 getting through the assembled crowd of survivors, 

 which, however, made no attempt to avenge their slain 

 comrades. 



Like the rest of the dolphins, the Black Fish appears 

 to be very happy. Since the decline of the whale 

 fishery to its present exceedingly low ebb it would seem 



