182 The Story of the New England Whalers 



Kelley, of the brig Eliza, was the first to discover 

 this singing, but he was laughed at for it. In 

 1882 several ships lay at anchor under Indian 

 Point. As usual the masters got together and 

 in the midst of their conversation Captain Kelley 

 broke in: 'There's a bowhead!' Everybody 

 laughed about ' Kelley' s band/ but he insisted 

 that whales were near by and he was going to 

 give chase. One master suggested that it was 

 the copper on the ship, another that it was seals, 

 another that it was the ice, and so on. But 

 when Captain Kelley took up anchor and set 

 sail every ship followed him. One whale was 

 caught. Soon more singing was heard. The 

 result was the capture of several whales. After 

 having attention thus forcibly called to the sing- 

 ing it was not long before the masters were on 

 the lookout for it. It is inferred that it is a sort 

 of call or signal for whales, when making a pas- 

 sage through Bering Sea, to notify each other 

 that they are bound north, and perhaps that 

 the straits are clear of ice. 



"While Captain Wm. H. Kelley was right 

 whaling in the Japan Sea in 1881 he put his 



