302 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. 



ri^iilit whak' just iiiciitioiuMl. The head differs from that of the right wliale 

 in being over one-tliii-d the h-ngtli of the liody, very massive and high, and 

 is abruptly ti'uncated in front. This curious development of the head is 

 mainly caused hy the bulk of fatty tissue massed in the large hollow on the 

 upper surface of the skull. The weight of the skull is very great. The 

 skeleton of the six'cimcn assembled l)y the writer, now on exhibition in the 

 Bishoji Museum, weighs almost three thousand pounds. 



The blow-hole is placed on the anterior extremity of the head a little to 

 one side of the center. Ownng to the curious sliape of the head in the sperm- 

 whale, the ''hump," when \ho animal comes to the surface to blow, is in front 

 of the spray; in the I'ight wiuile and the humpback, the hump is behind the 

 spray. Owing to this ditference the experienced whaler is able to identify the 

 species miles away from his ship. 



The lowei- jaw of the sperm-whale differs from that of the right whale in 

 being narrow and in having from twenty to twenty-five stout conical teeth six 

 or eight inches in length, that are composed of ivory of good quality. Whale 

 ivory was much prized by the native Hawaiians, and used l)y them in the manu- 

 facture of the jewelry and ornaments of which mention has already been made. 



The sperm-M-hale is doubtless one of the most widely distributed of living 

 animals, being met with usually in herds or schools in almost all tropical and 

 sub-tropical seas. Its food consists mainly of sipiid and cuttlefish, but the 

 larger fish are also devoured, though how they ai-e captured yet remains a 

 mystery. The substance known as "ambergris," formerly used in cookery and 

 medicine and now in the manufacture of perfumery, is a concretion formed in 

 the intestines of this and perhaps in other species of whales, and is occasionally 

 found floating on the surface of the sea or cast up on the open l)eacli. 



The right whale is pursued primarily for its whalebone, though its blubber 

 is a valuable by-product. The sperm-whale is sought for chiefly for the large 

 quantity of whale oil which it yields. This oil varies in color from a bright 

 honey-yell OAv to a dark brown, according to the part of the animal from which 

 it is taken. The best oil is that taken from the head, where it occurs as pure 

 oil and may be dipped out with a bucket. Sixty to eighty barrels of oil from 

 the head alone were not uncommon records when wdialing* was at its height. 



The humpback whale,-'*'^ or kohola of the Hawaiian seamen, is a large 

 species and belongs to the group characterized by the presence of a number of 

 longitudinal Hutings or folds in the skin of the throat, and by the fin on the 

 back. They were formerly quite common off the Island of ^laui during the 

 winter season, and were occasionally captured and bi-ought to land. In more 

 recent times, while both hvniipback and sperm-whales are seen cpiite frequently 

 each year al)out the islands, but little attention is paid to them unless they 

 chance to become stranded, as occasionally happens. In ancient times all 

 whales and porpoises •"■'•' cast ashore were the property of the alii, or chiefs, and 

 the wearing of whale-ivorv ornaments was liniitcd to that class. 



** Megaptera Jioops. ^" Naia. 



