74 HABITS AND INSTINCTS OF ANIMALS. CHAP. III. 



The sexes of the common whale evince an equal at- 

 tachment to each other. Anderson, in his History of 

 Greenland, informs us, that some fishermen having 

 struck one of two whales, a male and female, that were 

 in company together, the wounded animal made a long 

 and terrible resistance, and upset a boat, containing 

 three men, with a single blow of its tail : its companion 

 fully seconded its efforts ; and when at length the poor 

 creature sunk under its wounds, the other, with tre- 

 mendous bellowing, stretched itself upon its dead asso- 

 ciate, and shared its fate. The dolphin (Delphinus 

 delphis) carefully suckles and tends its young, carrying 

 them gently under its pectoral fins, sporting with, and 

 assiduously exercising them in swimming. The male, 

 also, attaches himself for life to his female companion, 

 and becomes her most zealous guardian and protector. * 

 (90.) Filial affection is less common among quad- 

 rupeds, and, indeed, all animals, than that evinced by 

 the parent. There is, comparatively, little appearance 

 of this feeling on the part of the young ; and when the 

 parents have once reared them to maturity, a separation 

 usually ensues. But with the American bison this is 

 not the case ; and the following affecting trait, related 

 by Mr. Turner, who resided for some time in America, 

 proves that the attachment of the dam is reciprocated 

 by her offspring. " Whenever," he observes, " a cow 

 bison falls by the hand of the hunters, and happens to 

 have a calf, the helpless young one, far from attempting 

 to escape, stops by its fallen dam, with signs expressive 

 of strong natural affection. The dam thus secured, the 

 hunter makes no attempt on the calf (knowing that to 

 be unnecessary), but proceeds to cut up the carcase ; 

 then, hanging it on his horse, he returns home, followed 

 by the poor calf, which thus instinctively attends the 

 remains of its dam. I have seen a single hunter ride 

 into the town of Cincinnati, followed in this manner by 

 three calves, all of which had just lost their dams by 

 this cruel hunter." 



* Griffith's Cuvier, vol. iv. p. 452. 



