NA. 



o_a \vueuierthoy are wlialebone whales or toothed 

 whales ; and when the fact of their being seen is 

 mentioned as part of the story of the voyage, they i 

 an: very naturally referred to the common species, 

 which is always meant when the whale is simply 

 mentioned by any one belonging to the north of 

 Europe. 



The ICELAND WHALE (Balacna Nordcaper) is about 

 the same length as the common whale, or perhaps a 

 little longer ; but it is far more slender in the body, 

 and the form and colour are different. The head is 

 much smaller, the lower jaw broader in proportion to 

 the upper one, the outline of the snout a little hollow, 

 the blow-holes near to each other, the whalebone 

 short, the swimming paws long, the back also long, 

 the tail very much tapered, and the lobes large 

 larger in proportion than in the common whale. The 

 upper part of this species is grey, or grey clouded 

 with black ; and its position in the water is much 

 deeper than that of the common whale. It has ge- 

 nerally only the blow-holes and a small portion of the 

 head above the surface, which may, in part, arise from 

 its greater specific gravity, as it has much less fat in 

 proportion than the common whale ; but it also feeds 

 deeper, and in more southerly latitudes, and is more ac- 

 tive and vigorous in its general motions. Hence the 

 probability is, that its food is somewhat different from 

 that of the common whale, consisting more of fry and 

 the smaller fishes which are found near the surface. 



The nordcaper is said to be more ferocious, or at 

 least bold, than the common whale, as well as more 

 active. When struck by the harpoon, it does not run 

 like the other, but makes for the boat from which the 

 harpoon proceeds ; and if it came up with that, it 

 would dash it to splinters. From this habit, and the 

 swiftness of its motion, it cannot be safely attacked 

 but by several boats in company, which contrive to 

 strike it, and draw its attention by turns till it is ex- 

 hausted by wounds and exertion. The inhabitants of 

 Iceland and of the coast of Norway sometimes cap- 

 ture this species, but it is not sought after by the 

 ships which resort to the North Sea whale fishery. 



BAL^NOPTEKA. These agree with the balaenae in 

 being without teeth in either jaw, in having the mouth 

 furnished with baleen, and the blow-holes double ; but 

 they differ in having a dorsal fin, in being more slen- 

 der in proportion to their length, and in being discur- 

 sive over a much greater extent of the ocean. They 

 also live more upon fish ; and, some of the smaller 

 ones especially, drive about after the manner of por- 

 poises and dolphins, and the fishes may be seen leap- 

 ing out of the water in their attempts to escape from 

 them. Lacepede divides them into two sections : 

 those that have the skin of the throat flat or smooth, 

 and those which have it formed into folds or wrinkles ; 

 but it does not appear that this form is accompanied 

 by any peculiarity of character, other than that some 

 of the plaited throated ones are, perhaps, smaller, 

 and more discursive than the others. There are 

 usually reckoned four species : one belonging to the 

 first section of Lacepede, and three to the second. 

 In an economical point of view they are of small in- 

 terest or value, compared with the balance. But as 

 these are the whales of description, the balaenop 

 tera are the whales of observation, being almost the 

 only whalebone whales which, now at least, are found 

 in the seas, or stranded on the shores, of the tempe- 

 rate parts of Europe. 



The FINNER, or GIBBAR (Bakenoptera gibbar), is 

 NAT. HIST. VOL. I. 



269 



distinguished by its dorsal fin, which is often the only 

 part of it which is seen above water, and which may 

 be mistaken for the sail of a small boat. The gibbar 

 is now not much longer than the common whale, that 

 is, ninety or one hundred feet; but it is t>in and 

 slender in the body. 



The head is conical, and equal to about i third of 

 the whole length. The gape extends far back, and 

 the eyes, which are small, are placed near its termi- 

 nation. The plates of baleen are short, cnly a few 

 inches, or not more than they are in breadt'i ; but the 

 fringes on them are much produced. The swimming 

 paws are rather long, and placed a little ir the rear of 

 the gape. The dorsal fin is far backward about four 

 feet long in the full-grown animal, and hav ng its apex 

 bent to the rear. The colour of the upp :r part is a 

 uniform shining brown, that of the under part pure 

 white ; and in the young the brown is py ler, and has 

 a tinge of grey. 



It is not found quite so far to the nortl as the com- 

 mon whale ; and when it appears in i umbers, the 

 common whale is said to shift its ground ; but for what 

 reason is not explained. It is certainly the more 

 active animal ; but it cannot bite, or otherwise offer 

 violence, except by the stroke of the tail ; and it is 

 doubtful whether it can deliver that with the same 

 force and effect as the common whale. The weight 

 of the common whale is of considerable advantage to 

 it in the use of that weapon, by affording a more 

 steady point of rest ; and the height at which it 

 swims in the water is another advantage, as the tail 

 moves through the air in a large portion of its sweep. 

 Whether these are more than counteracted by the 

 superior activity of the fin-fish is not known, and 

 there is no instances of any hostile rencontre between 

 the two ; but the account of the one quitting w heu 

 the other arrives is as has been stated. 



The fin-fish is probably more numerous than the 

 common whale ; but it does not appear to be in 

 general so social, being found dispersed over a wider 

 extent of sea, and seldom in those bays and openings 

 of the ice in which common whales are found in. 

 packs, though not close to each other, like a flock of 

 sheep, yet appearing to belong to one party. 



One of the largest of this species will not furnish 

 above two tons of oil, and the capture of it. is much 

 more arduous and dangerous than that of the com- 

 mon whale, so that it is but little annoyed by the 

 fishers. As soon as it finds that it is attacked or pur- 

 sued, even before it is wounded, it makes a formidable 

 resistance, throwing the water into agitation, and 

 lashing with its tail, so that it is not easy or altogether 

 safe for a boat to approach it so closely as to be able 

 to strike it with the harpoon certainly and with the 

 proper effect. 



On this account its numbers have been less thinned, 

 and its natural habits less interfered with, than those 

 of the common whale; so that its numbers and haunts 

 have probably not changed so much. That it is the 

 species which the Romans describe as, in their day, 

 being found on the British shores, there can be little 

 doubt ; but there can be as little doubt that it must have 

 been far more plentiful in their days than it is now. 

 For one bark that the Romans had afloat on the Bri- 

 tish seas, it is no exaggeration to say that there are 

 now a thousand ; and yet our modern navigators so 

 rarely see a whale, that instead of describing it as a 

 native animal, characteristic of the country, they look 

 upon it as a very rare strantrer. Specimens are, no 

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