494 EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



oil is not suitable for the purposes of hardening by which the 

 oil from "other (whalebone) whales is converted into margarine 

 or edible fat. Even a small proportion of sperm oil will con- 

 taminate that from whalebone whales so as to render it unus- 

 able for this purpose. The result is that stations concerned 

 chiefly with catching the latter sorts of whales find the sperm 

 whale a source of embarrassment." The demand for sperm oil 

 is small so that the present whaling industry is not specially 

 tempted to hunt these whales intensively. Since the species is 

 polygamous, and the sex ratio about equal, it would neverthe- 

 less be possible to confine the capture to surplus bulls, thus 

 allowing the females to breed and so keep up the stock. Since 

 the larger bulls "segregate themselves during their solitary 

 migration into high latitudes, the unrestricted capture of sperm 

 whales north and south of latitudes 40 N. and 40 S. respec- 

 tively would be unlikely to affect adversely the world stock of 

 sperm whales, provided all sperm whales between those lati- 

 tudes were protected." It is the species thus most suitable for 

 such "rational exploitation," but at this time is of relatively 

 small economic importance. 



Ambergris is the product of this whale and is sometimes 

 found floating on the sea or cast up on shore, or it may be dis- 

 covered in the intestines of sperm whales. It is usually in the 

 form of a concretion, perhaps started in the first place by some 

 obstruction, as a squid beak becoming lodged in the intestinal 

 wall. Small squid beaks are found in these lumps, and the 

 mass itself may attain a size large enough to block the intestine 

 and, apparently, cause death. For this reason, in older days, 

 the whalers always opened and examined dead sperm whales 

 found afloat, in the hopes of finding ambergris. The substance 

 may be identified by its minutely layered appearance in fresh 

 section, by the pale chocolate color (poorer grades are black), 

 the presence of minute opaque granules in the section or by 

 occasional squid beaks, by the fecal odor, and by the fact 

 that when burned, as with a hot needle, it gives off a sweetish 

 odor. Its value lies in the fact that it is used by makers of 

 perfumes to hold delicate scents, a property in which it excels 

 other known substances. Frequently persons walking the sea- 

 beach in summer find and mistake for ambergris such things 

 as lumps of sewer grease, varnish waste, and wax. 



In 1937, by international agreement among those nations 



