WHALES. 147 



His blows were repeated again and again ; and the 

 wliale, at each fresh attack, struck the water violently 

 with his tail, and often appoare I above the surface to 

 blow. The combat lasted a long time, and was always 

 confined to the same spot — which proves that the 

 whale did not attempt to fly from his enemy. Sud- 

 denly, after a moment of repose, tlie whale itself 

 sprang from the water, to a height of about three 

 yards, and, coming down with a crash, caused the 

 water to spring up with great force. After this 

 tremendous effort the struggle appeared to cease, at 

 least I saw nothing more of it." 



The baloena, or whalebone whale, is the least 

 voracious of the cetacea. He is much less so than 

 the cachalot or spermaceti, which, although of less 

 bulk, may nevertheless be reckoned among the giants 

 of creation. The spermaceti has a large throat, and 

 is able to swallow at a moutlifnl a large quantity of 

 fish. Some curious statements are made, to this 

 effect, to which it is difficult to yield implicit faith, 

 although they are vouched for by naturalists. *' A 

 spermaceti whale, having beeen wounded,'' says 

 Grantz, "vomited a shark sixteen feet long; and 

 there were found in his stomach the bones of a fish 

 more than six feet long. Probably," adds the same 

 author, "the fish that swallowed Jonah was of thii? 

 Hpecies." 



