i8o The Story of the New England Whalers 



Stationed at the mastheads of their vessels captains 

 have observed that when their boats were attack- 

 ing a whale to leeward a school several miles to 

 windward, and out of sight of the combatants, 

 would show signs of alarm and retreat the moment 

 the first blow of the harpoon was struck. Sound 

 was not the means of communication, as the 

 distance was too great, and furthermore it is 

 a well ascertained fact that whales only signal 

 by sound in the practice of 'lob-tailing/ In 

 'lob-tailing' the whale rises perpendicularly in 

 the water with its head downward. Thus poised 

 it will swing from side to side sweeping a radius 

 of thirty feet with awful violence. The con- 

 cussions of its tail with the water may be heard 

 for many miles, while the sea is a mass of foam, 

 and the air is filled with spray. The practice 

 is supposed to be intended for amusement, 

 but it is also a tocsin." 



"The instant one is attacked every whale for 

 miles around springs up, shoots his head out of 

 water and listens," says another observer. In 

 connection with this unexplained method of 

 communication one should remember the habit 



