THE WHALE. 



259 



tinues for a while motionless ; but soon roused 

 from its seeming lethargy, as the shaft con- 

 tinues to pierce deeper and deeper into the 

 muscular flesh, it. flies off with amazing rapid- 

 ity. In the meantime, the harpoon sticks in 

 its side, while the rope, which is coiled up in 

 the boat, and runs upon a swivel, lengthens 

 as the whale recedes, but still shows the part 

 of the deep to which it has retreated. The 

 cord is coiled up with great care ; for such is 

 the rapidity with which it runs off, that if it 

 was but the least checked, as it yields with 

 the animal's retreat, it would infallibly over- 

 set the boat, and the crew would go to the 

 bottom. It sometimes happens also, that the 

 rapidity with which it runs over the swivel at 

 the edge of the boat, heats it, and it would 

 infallibly take fire, did not a man stand con- 

 tinually with a wet mop in his hand, to cool 

 the swivel as the cord runs. 1 The whale 

 having dived to a considerable depth, remains 

 at the bottom, sometimes for near half an hour, 

 with the harpoon in its body, and then rises 

 to take breath, expecting the danger over; 

 but the instant it appears, they are all with 

 their boats ready to receive it, and fling the 

 harpoons into its body ; the animal again 

 dives and again rises, while they repeat their 

 bknvs. The ship follows in full sail, like all 

 the rest, never losing sight of the boats, and 

 ready to lend them assistance ; the whole ocean 

 seems dyed in blood. Thus they renew their 

 attacks, till the whale begins to be quite en- 

 feebled and spent, when they plunge their 

 longer spears into various parts of its body, 

 and the enormous animal expires. 2 When it 



is dead, to prevent it from sinking, they tie 

 it with a strong iron chain to the side of the 

 boat, and either cut it up in pieces, and carry- 

 it home in that manner, or extract the oil 

 from the blubber on ship-board. 



Such is the manner in which these fish 

 were taken in the beginning ; but succeeding 

 rts have improved the method, and the har- 

 oon is now thrown by ; a machine being 

 sed which inflicts a deeper wound, and 

 trikes the animal with much greater certainty; 

 here are better methods for extracting oil, and 

 roper machines for cutting the animal up, 

 tian were used in the early fisheries. But 

 s an account of this belongs to the history of 

 rt, and not of nature, we must be contented 

 ith observing, that several parts of this ani. 

 mal, and all but the intestines and the bones, 

 re turned to a very good account ; not only 

 he oil, but the greaves from which it is sepa- 

 ated. The barbs also were an article of 

 great profit; but have sunk in their price 

 ince women no longer use them to swell out 

 heir petticoats with whalebone. The flesh 

 )f this animal is also a dainty to some nations, 

 and even the French seamen are now and 

 hen found to dress and use it as their ordin- 

 ary diet at sea. It is said, by the English 

 and Dutch sailors, to be hard and ill-tasted ; 

 mt the French assert the contrary ; and the 

 savages of Greenland, as well as those near 

 the south pole, are fond of it to distraction. 

 They eat the flesh, and drink the oil, which 

 is a first-rate delicacy. The finding a dead 

 whale is an adventure considered among the 

 ortunate circumstances of their wretched lives. 



the surface of the water at intervals to respire in the air. 

 The heart has two ventricles and two auricles. The 

 blood is warmer than in the human species ; in a narwhal 

 that had been an hour and a half dead, the temperature 

 of the blood was 97 ; and in a mysticetus recently killed 

 102. All of them inhabit the sea. Some of them pro- 

 cure their food by means of a kind of sieve, composed oi 

 two fringes of whalebone ; these have no teeth. Others 

 have no whalebone, but are furnished with teeth. They 

 all have two lateral or pectoral fins, with concealed bones 

 like those of a hand ; and a large flexible horizontal tail, 

 which is the principal member of motion. Some have 

 a kind of dorsal fin, which is an adipose or cartilaginous 

 substance, without motion. This fin, varying in form, 

 size, and position, in different species, and being in a 

 conspicuous situation, is well adapted for a specific dis- 

 tinction. The appearance and dimensions of the whale 

 bone and teeth, especially the former, are other specifii 

 characteristics. All whales have spiracles or blowholes 

 some with one, others with two openings, through 

 which they breathe ; some have a smooth skin all over the 

 body ; others have rugse or sulci about the region o 

 the thorax and on the lower jaw. And all afford be 

 neath the integuments, a quantity of fat or blubber, fronr 

 wnence a useful and valuable oil, the train oil of com 

 merce, is extracted. Scoresby. 



1 It is also customary to have a man stationary wit 

 an axe, ready to cut the rope asunder should it becom 

 entangled. 



2 The extreme fidelity of these wonderful animals to 



wards each other, and their affection for their offspring, 

 s most incredible. So fondly attached are they to the 

 society of their brethren, that many instances are re- 

 orded of their assuming a passive floating position, on 

 the surface, after offering much resistance ; as though 

 disdaining to survive the loss of their companions. Thus, 

 when the Cyrus had captured six, out of a herd of seven 

 whales, and they were supported around the vessel on 

 the water, the surviving one rose, and thrust its head 

 amongst its dead brethren, and remained immovable, 

 close to the vessel, while it was killed. In general, 

 the female is accompanied in her progress by her young 

 one, though, on the contrary, she sometimes wanders 

 very far from it ; and yet, by some unknown impulse, 

 highly calculated to excite our amazement, she has no 

 difficulty in finding it, though perfectly silent, in the 

 vast and trackless ocean, as often as she requires ; and 

 the same may be said of all the cetacea. But further, 

 when her young one is hardest pursued and harpooned, 

 she supports it under her fin, while she plunges with it for 

 safety into unfathomable depths. A young whale, hav- 

 ing been struck by a harpoon from a Hull vessel, being 

 at the time at some distance from its mother, had run 

 out some length of line, when the latter appeared in 

 sight, and rapidly bent her course towards it. In vain 

 did she use every usual means to induce it to leave the 

 place of danger, while swimming by its side, as far as 

 the line would allow, in circles around the boats, during 

 the space of four hours ; and within this time, on four 

 separate occasions, the parent was observed, when on 



