192 MAMMALIA. 



from a single whale. Sliell-fisli attach themselves to its skin, and 

 multiply there as on a rock, and some of the Balanus family even 

 penetrate into it. It is asserted that these enormous animals feed 

 exclusively on very small Mollusca, which swarm, it is true, in the 

 seas they inhabit. Their excrement is of a beautiful red colour, 

 and affords a tolerable die for linen.* 

 Other species (Bal.enoptera, Lacep.) have a dorsal fin: they are also 



again subdivided into such as have a smooth belly, and those in which it 



is wrinkled. The 



Bal.^noptera, ivith a smooth belly. 



Are closely allied to the whales, properly so called. One only is cited, 



the 



Balcena physalus, Finnfisch of the Dutch ; copied from Martens, 

 by Anderson, Bonnaterre, and others ; Lacep. I. fig. ii. (Razor- 

 back of British sailors, or Giblar.) As long as the common whale, 



* It is from an erroneous interpretation of certain passages of Martens and Zorg- 

 drager, that naturalists have made a peculiar species of the Nord- Caper, which 

 should be a northern whale more slender than the common one; but in the Antarc- 

 tic Seas there is a species very similar to the Common Whale, which the Hollanders 

 of the Cape also call Nord-Caper. See Oss. Foss. p. 361, 363. 



and obliges the other boats to await its return to the surface, before any further at- 

 tack can be made. It is afterwards actively plied with lances, which are thrust into 

 its body, aiming at its vitals. At length, when exhausted by numerous wounds and 

 the loss of blood which flows from the huge animal in copious streams, it indicates 

 the approach of its dissolution by discharging from its blow-holes a mixture of blood 

 along with the air and mucus which it usually expires, and finally jets of blood alone. 

 The sea to a great extent around is dyed with its blood, and the ice, boats, and men, 

 are sometimes drenched with the same. Its track is likewise marked by a broad pel- 

 licle of oil, which exudes from its wounds, and appears on the surface of the sea. 

 Its final capture is sometimes preceded by a convulsive and energetic struggle, in 

 which its tail, reared, whirled, and violently jerked in the air, resounds to the dis- 

 tance of miles. In dying, it turns on its back or on its side; which joyful circum- 

 stance is announced by the capturers with the striking of their flags, accompanied 

 with three lively huzzas. Whenever a whale lies on the surface of the water, un- 

 conscious of the approach of its enemies, the hardy fisher rows directly upon it, and 

 an instant before the boat touches it, buries his harpoon in its back. The wounded 

 whale, in the surprise and agony of the moment, makes a convulsive effort to escape. 

 Then is the moment of danger. The boat is subjected to the most violent blows 

 from its head, or its fins, but particularly from its ponderous tail, which sometimes 

 sweeps the air with such tremendous fury, that both boat and men are exposed to 

 one common destruction. The whale on being struck, immediately dives down into 

 the water with great velocity. It appears, from the line which it draws out, that it 

 goes down at the rate of eight or ten miles an hour. The moment that the wounded 

 whale disappears or leaves the boat, a jack or flag, elevated on a stafi", is displayed, 

 on sight of which, those on watch in the ship give the alarm, by stamping on the 

 deck, accompanied by a simultaneous and continued shout of ' a fall.' At the sound 

 of this the sleeping crew are roused, jump from their beds, rush upon deck, with 

 their clothes tied by a string in their hands, and crowd into the boats. With a tem- 

 perature at zero, should a fall occur, the crew would appear on deck, shielded only 

 by their drawers, stockings, and shirts, or other habiliments in which they sleep. 

 The alarm of ' a fall ' has a singidar efiect on the feelings of a sleeping person, un- 

 accustomed to the whale-fishing business. It has often been mistaken as a cry of 

 distress. A landsman, in a Hull ship, seeing the crew, on an occasion of a ' fall,' 

 rush upon deck, with their clothes in their hands, and leap into the boats, when 

 there was no appearance of danger, thought the men were all mad. 



