ATTACHMENT OF WHALES TO THEIR YOUNG. 153 



troublous existence ; and if one thing can enlist our sympa- 

 thies for these animals more than another, it is the well- 

 known attachment they have to each other, and particularly 

 for their young. It is said that when a female whale is 

 wounded, her companions will remain around her until the 

 last moment, or when they are themselves wounded. The 

 whalers strike the young cubs, or *' suckers," as they are 

 called, not for their value, for these would hardly produce a 

 barrel of oil, but the men know that the mother will start 

 forth in their defence. She joins her cub at the surface 

 whenever it has occasion to rise for respiration, encourages 

 it to swim off, and seldom deserts it while life remains. She is 

 then dangerous to approach, but affords frequent opportuni- 

 ties of attack. She loses all regard for her own safety in 

 anxiety for the preservation of her young, dashes through 

 the midst of her enemies, and even voluntarily remains with 

 her offspring after various attacks on herself. 



"In 1811," says Scoresby, "one of my harpooners struck a 

 sucker with the hope of leading to the capture of the mother. 

 Presently she arose close to the * fast boat,' and, seizing the 

 young one, dragged about six hundred feet of line out of the 

 boat, with remarkable force and velocity. Again she rose to 

 the surface — darted furiously to and fro, frequently stopped 

 short, or suddenly changed her direction, and gave every 

 possible intimation of extreme agony. For a length of time 

 she continued thus to act, though pursued closely by the 

 boats, and, inspired with courage and resolution by her con- 

 cern for her young, seemed regardless of the dangers around 

 her. At length one of the boats approached so near that a 

 harpoon was hove at her: it hit, but did not attach itself. A 

 second harpoon was struck, but this also failed to penetrate ; 

 so that, in a few minutes, three more liarpoons were fastened, 

 and in the course of an hour afterwards she was killed." 



