THE WHALE. 35 



Fidelity of the male and female. 



company together, the wounded fish made a long 

 and terrible resistance; it struck down a boat 

 with three men in it, with a single blow of its 

 tail, by which all went to the bottom. The other 

 still attended its companion, and lent it every 

 assistance ; till, at last, the fish that was struck, 

 sunk under the number of its wounds, whilst its 

 faithful associate, disdaining to survive the loss, 

 with great bellowing stretched itself upon the 

 dead fish, and shared his fate. 



The female goes with young nine or ten 

 months, and is then fatter than usual, particularly 

 when near the time of bringing forth. She ge- 

 nerally produces one young one, and never 

 above two. When she suckles her young, she 

 throws herself on one side on the surface of the 

 sea, and the young attaches itself to the teat. 

 She is remarkably careful of her offspring, which 

 she carries with her wherever she goes, and, 

 when hardest pursued, keeps it supported be- 

 tween her fins. Even when wounded, she still 

 clasps her young one, and when she plunges to 

 avoid danger, takes it to the bottom, but rises 

 sooner than usual, to give it breath again. The 

 following story, founded on historical authority 

 is related by Goldsmith and others. " A whale 

 and her cub had got into an arm of the sea, 

 where, by the defection of the tide, they were 

 entirely enclosed. The people on shore beheld 

 their situation, and drove down upon them in 



