

THE OCEAN MAMMALS 353 



enemy. Because of the enormous pressures which must 

 be endured by the animal, the external opening of the ear 

 is reduced to the diameter of a crow-quill, whereas the 

 opening of the ear into the nose the Eustachian tube - 

 is very large. Deafness, following the closing of this tube 

 by adenoid growths in children, has made most of us know 

 of the existence of this second " ear-hole." The whale 

 actually hears through his nose, in a way similar to that 

 by which a person listens " open-mouthed." The eyes are 

 very small ; this is not a disadvantage, fixed as the eyes are 

 in such positions that the animal can see well neither ahead 

 nor astern. Sight can hardly be much used as a feeding 

 sense; think of looking for your food when you have to 

 catch millions of tiny creatures, like copepods, to satisfy 

 your appetite ! It has been said that a whale brought to 

 land does not die of asphyxiation, for he can breathe an 

 hour or two at least; that, on the other hand, he does die 

 of starvation. He must eat incessantly or die. 



On a fine morning on the Labrador coast, I have counted 

 a dozen whales in a single school. Now and again a huge 

 tail would emerge from the water and lash the surface 

 with its full breadth, making a sound like the firing of a 

 cannon, while the silence of the stillness was otherwise 

 broken only by the noise of their blowing, as they rolled 

 lazily along on the surface. I have seen the thresher whales 

 making their huge prey hurl his whole immense body clear 

 out of the water, only to fall back with the splash of a 

 waterfall, and the noise of a thunderclap, to be stabbed by 

 the swordfish below, or eaten alive by the fearful jaws of 

 his enemy. 



In order to remain below water so long as they do (a 



2A 



