SOME HABITS OF THE GRAY WHALE 



alongside and pushing his head over her body. Later 

 he struck the male with a harpoon, but did not get 

 fast, and even then it returned and was finally killed. 

 Scammon says that when attacked in the lagoons 

 with their young the devilfish would turn furiously 



Captain Melsom about to , lance a gray whale from the pram. 



upon the boats, and that almost every day injuries to 

 the crews were reported. He gives an interesting ac- 

 count of two gray whales which, in February, 1856, 

 were found aground in Magdalena Bay: 



Each had a calf playing about, there being sufficient depth 

 for the young ones, while the mothers were lying hard on 

 the bottom. When attacked, the smaller of the two old 

 whales lay motionless, and the boat approached near enough 

 to "set" the hand lance into her "life," dispatching the ani- 

 mal at a single dart. The other, when approached, would 



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