MAMMALS. 655 



They swim through the water with the lower jaw let down (as shown in 

 the cut), until it forms a nearly right angle with the body, -and thus sweep 

 into the mouth all sorts of animals, even the giant squid ; already noticed 

 on page 122 as food of this species. These are bitten and torn by the 

 teeth into morsels of a suitable size, which are passed to the capacious 

 throat, large enough to allow the passage of a man. 



For the greater portion of our knowledge of the habits of this, as of 

 almost all other whales, we are indebted to the pages of Captain Scammon, 

 which have been freely used in the preparation of this article, though credit 

 is not always given by quotation marks. No whale respires as regularly 

 as the sperm-whale. On coming to the surface the hump of the back first 

 appears, and then the head, which sends forth a volume of whitish vapor 

 like steam. This is the spout, and may be seen from the mast-head at a 

 distance of three to five miles. The largest bulls take ten or twelve sec- 

 onds for an inspiration, and will blow sixty or seventy-five times at a 

 rising ; when the ' spoutings are out ' they pitch downward, head-foremost, 

 turning the flukes high in air, and descending in a perpendicular direction 

 to the great depths, where they remain from fifteen minutes to an hour 

 and a quarter. When spouting undisturbed the whale lies still, or moves 

 along slowly through the water. 



When alarmed, or when sporting in the water (for whales like their 

 play), the actions are different. If frightened, they may instantly sink, or 

 if startled, they frequently assume a perpendicular position, with the 

 greater portion of the head above the water, so as to more readily look 

 and listen, or, lying horizontally, they will strike right and left with their 

 powerful tail, to see if any object be within reach. When at play, the 

 flukes may be raised high in air and pounded upon the water, raising a 

 cloud of foam and spray ; or, descending a few feet, it will dart suddenly 

 upwards, at an angle of about forty-five degrees, until nearly the whole 

 body is out of water, when it falls on its side with a heavy splash, which 

 may be seen for miles. When attacked, the sperm-whale makes a des- 

 perate fight, and not infrequently succeeds in escaping ; but occasionally, 

 after being struck, it will lie motionless for a few moments, allowing the 

 lancer to get in his murderous thrusts. At other times it takes the offen- 

 sive, and crushes the boats with its jaws, or, coming head-first, strikes the 

 ship again and again, with such force as sometimes to cause it to sink. 



Floating on the surface of the sea are frequently found large masses of 

 an odorous substance known as ambergris, and which always commands 

 a high price. Many are the theories advanced to account for its origin, 

 some extremely fanciful and absurd. We now know that it is produced only 

 by diseased whales, and consists of the excretions which have been long 



