FIGHT BETWEEN A WHALE AND A GRAMPUS. 151 



yards of it. Tlie movements of the whales were now vio- 

 lent, but, except when one became unmanageable and en- 

 raged when harpooned, or his tail fixed in a noose, they were 

 not dangerous to approach. One young sailor, however, re- 

 ceived a stroke from the tail of one of the largest of them, 

 which promised to be fatal. In a few hours the whales were 

 captured, the shore was strewed with the dead carcasses, 

 while the sea presented a troubled and bloody appearance, 

 giving evident proof that it was w^ith no small effort that 

 they were subdued and made the property of man." 



The deductor whale has a very prominent head, short 

 and round, with something like a pad over its mouth, which 

 gives it a peculiar appearance. In length it is from sixteen 

 to twenty-four feet, and in circumference ten or eleven feet. 

 Almost the whole body is black, smooth, and shining like 

 oiled silk. When the mouth is shut, the teeth lock into 

 each other like those of a rat-trap. They are generally very 

 fat, and yield a large quantity of good pale oil. 



It is impossible not to feel an emotion of pity for the 

 whale — timid and inoifensive, with all its immense power for 

 mischief, apparently unconscious of it until roused by dan- 

 ger — subjected to such cruel treatment by the cupidity of 

 man: the deadly harpoons inflict tremendous wounds, and 

 the blood, rushing in torrents from its sides, crimsons the 

 sea for a wide space around. 



The whale has, however, other enemies to contend with 

 besides man. Commodore Wilkes gives an animated ac- 

 count of a sea-fight between a whale and a grampus, or 

 "killer," as this fish is called. 



"At a distance from the ship a whale was seen floundering 

 in a most extraordinary manner, lashing the smooth sea into 

 a perfect foam, and endeavoring apparently to extricate 

 himself from some annoyance. As he approached the ship, 

 the struggle continuing and becoming more violent, it was 

 perceived that a fish, apparently about twenty feet long, 



