114 VOYAGE INTO 



able to the bigness of the ivhale; it is color'd according to 

 tlie colour of the fish ; if the fish be black, this undermost 

 thick skin is so ; if the outmost skin that is like parchment 

 is white or yellow, the thick one underneath it is of the same 

 colour. This thick skin is not stiff nor tough at all, so that 

 one might dress it like leather, but it dries just like unto the 

 fungus that grows on elder, which we call Jews-ears, which 

 are thick and turgid when they are green and fresh, but 

 brittle when they are dried ; wherefore this skin is not 

 esteemed at all. This and the uppermost skin that covers 

 this, are the occasion that the tcliale, which I take to be 

 strongest and biggest of all creatures in the water, cannot 

 make use of his strength, because they are too soft to do much. 



I have nothing to relate of the inward parts of the ivhale , 

 but only that his guts seem to be of a flesh colour; they were 

 full of wind, and the dung that was within them was yellow. 



The food of the whale, as it is believed, are the small sea 

 snails, whereof I have made mention in another place, which 

 some take for spiders •} whether these aff"ord such great nou- 

 rishment I cannot exactly tell. Some say that they live only 

 by the wind, but then methinks they must have nothing in 

 them but wind, which I found otherwise. I was informed 

 by others, that about Hitland a small whale was caught, that 

 had about a barrel of herrings in his belly. They are smaller 

 whales than those we catch at Spitzbcrgen, but there is more 

 danger in catching of them, they being less and nimbler 

 than the great ones, to Avhom the water does not so easily 

 give way as to these, for they jump and play in the water, 

 and keep their tail commonly above water, so that one dare 

 not come near them to launce them. Concerning the whalers 

 valour, we do find that he is not very courageous, according 

 to his strength and bigness ; for if he sees a man or a long- 

 boat he goeth under water and runs away. I did never see 

 nor hear, that out of his own malice he endeavour'd to hurt 



^ Clio lorealis and Limocina arctica. 



