140 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



to enter the "voes" or inlets of the sea. When a shoal is seen about 

 such a place, every one who can turns out, and boats put out and try 

 to get behind the Whales and drive the whole school up the voe 

 into shallow water. This they can easily do unless the leader breaks 

 away; and if they succeed, there follows a massacre of the unfortunate 

 Blackfish with any available weapon, women as well as men taking 

 their share in the work. Such a capture is a windfall indeed to the 

 islanders, for each Whale is reckoned to be worth more than three 

 pounds, yielding a barrel of oil and a good supply of meat. 



THE BELUGA 



{Delphinapterus leucas) 



THE Beluga, or White Whale, which is the only close ally of the 

 Narhwal, next to be noticed, much resembles the female of that 

 animal in form, having no back-fin and a comparatively small head. 

 It has not the Narhwal's tusk, however, but possesses a set of ordinary 

 teeth ; but these are not large, and there are only eight or ten on each 

 side of the jaws. In length this animal reaches four yards or more. 

 The colour is pure white in fully adult individuals, but younger ones 

 are mottled, and the youngest specimens are grey. The White Whale 

 feeds on fish and Cuttles ; it is one of the characteristic Arctic animals 

 found everywhere in the high North, but it sometimes strays southwards, 

 and several individuals have occurred on our own coasts. This is one 

 of the very few Cetaceans which have been kept in captivity ; a pair 

 were once exhibited for a short time at the Brighton Aquarium, and 

 one which was kept in America got so tame that it would come up 

 to be harnessed, and carry people round its tank on its back. 



