DESCRIPTION OF BELUGA. 197 



he sank about eight feet beneath the surface, and 

 we instantly followed this up with another, for fear 

 it should draw. A vigorous application of the 

 lance, accompanied by a peculiar pump-handling 

 motion of the weapon, soon settled the business, 

 and, getting a running noose round his tail, we tow- 

 ed him along to the sloop. Many others now ap- 

 peared close round the boat, the old ones white and 

 shiny, like immense shapes of blanc-mange, and the 

 young ones of a dusky gray in color. I could easi- 

 ly have shot more ; but, being incommoded by the 

 dead one towing astern, we should not have been 

 able to secure them, as this whale sinks when dead. 

 We hove our victim on deck, with some difficul- 

 ty, by means of two strong tackles attached to the 

 rigging and one of the boat's davits, and proceeded 

 to examine him. He was fourteen feet long, by 

 about ten feet in circumference, and of a snow-white 

 color all over. His skin was perfectly smooth, and 

 rather shiny. The head was very small and round. 

 He had a row of small teeth in both jaws. No 

 dorsal fin. The eyes and ears were both extreme- 

 ly small. The skin was of a curious, gristly, ge- 

 latinous consistency, and cut very readily with a 

 knife ; it was about half an inch thick, and firmly 

 attached to the underlying blubber, which was about 

 two and a half inches thick, and measured about 

 500 lbs. when packed in casks. We kept it sepa- 

 rate from the seal, bear, and walrus blubber, as it is 

 of much superior quality to any of these, and pro- 

 duces a far finer oil. 



