His CAPTORS. 119 



Time of Gestation. Natural Enemies of the Whale. 



once a year, or after a period of nine or ten 

 months' gestation, together with the rapid de- 

 crease of their numbers by slaughter on every 

 cruising ground in the ocean where whalers 

 have found them, to the number often of hund- 

 reds at once, would seem to be evidence of its 

 slow growth and long life. 



The only natural enemies it is known to have 

 are the sword-fish, thrasher, and killer. This 

 latter is itself a species of whale that has sharp 

 teeth, and is exceedingly swift in the water, and 

 will bite and worry a whale until quite dead. 

 When one of them gets among a gam or school 

 of whales, he spreads great consternation, and 

 the timid creatures fly every way like deer 

 chased by the hounds, and fall an easy prey to 

 whale-boats that may be near to avail them- 

 selves of the opportunity. I have heard a 

 captain detail with great interest a scene of 

 this kind, in which the killers and harpooners 

 were together against the poor whales, and the 

 killers actually succeeded in pulling under and 

 making off with one prize which the whalemen 

 thought themselves sure of. 



In the United States exploring squadron, on 

 board the Peacock, as we learn from the nar- 



