THE ANIMAL LIFE OF THE GROUP. 301 



arched back surmounted by the curved iiu : a1 jitiollici- the wliitf liflly will 

 tlash in the sunlight as the creature swims aloti^' in a series of graceful (Mirvcs 

 in the surface water. Not infrequently scores of them will be seen swiiiiiniug 

 and leaping about a vessel for honrs together. It is then that Ihc voyager 

 is often given his first opportunity to see a hai-poon thrown froiii tin- bow of 

 the vessel. Perhaps if a successful thrust is made one of these odd mammals 

 will be brought on deck, where it can be examined at close range. 



The term dolphin is rather loosely used and is sometimes a])plie(l to a 

 fish, sometimes to a narwhale, but more often to the gram])us or Iviller. The 

 name properly belongs to a genus of animals world-wide in their distribution, 

 of which the common dolphin, ■■^•'' a species Ihat abounds in all leiuix-i'ate and 

 tropical seas, may be considered as typical. But as there are several closely- 

 related species, it is difficult to identify- them in the water oi' to separate them 

 from the ])orpoises "without specimens and recourse to extended technical 

 descriptions. 



Whales. 



It should be stated in this connection that the watei's of the Pacific are 

 inhabited by several species of whales, of which the right whale or whalebone 

 whales,-'^ with three or more wide-ranging species, are the most important. 

 However, the sperm-whale or cachlot ^•'' and the humpback ^'' are ]')erhaps the 

 most common. In times past the pursuit of whales and the whaling industry 

 was a matter of great commercial importance to the Hawaiian Islands. 



Although by their mode of life they are far removed from obsiM-vation, 

 whales are in many respects the most interesting of all creatures, and there is 

 much in their habits worthy of study. The whalebone, or Arctic right whale-"'', 

 attains, when full grown, a length of from forty-five to fifty feet. The head is 

 enormous in size, exceeding one-third the length of the creature. The upper 

 jaw resembles nothing so much as a large spoon. The whalebone blades acquire 

 a length of ten or twelve feet ; there being about '^SO on each side of tlie 

 upper jaw. These blades are black in color, fine and elastic in texture, and 

 fray out on their inner edges and ends into soft, delicate bail's, 'i'lie remark- 

 able development of the mouth and of the various sti-nctui-es coiniecled with 

 it bear a close relation to the food habits of this whale. H\ nu'ans of the seine 

 or seive-like apparatus just described, it is possible for these animals to cap- 

 ture the minute forms of life which swarm in immense numbei-s in the seas it 

 frequents. The elastic whalebone of commerce has Ioiil; been a valuable com- 

 modity, and many a fortune has been made I'rom the Mhalini;' business. In 

 recent years, owing to the decrease in the inuiiber of whah^s, the i)rice of 

 Avhalebone has been as high as twelve thousand dollars i)ei- ton. 



The sperm-whale, or ])alaoa of the natives, is the lar^vst I'epresentative of 

 the toothed whales, and in length and bulk it somewhat exceeds that of the 



^'^ Delphiniis delphi.s. ^* Bahi'tta s])p. ^'' Phi/netcr niacrocephnliis. «" J/('(;n/)f»')-n sp. 



''" Bahvna )iii/sticeliis. 



