HUNTING THE BOTTLENOSE WHALE 



it goes into the death flurry and plunges back and 

 forth lashing the water into foam or throwing its body 

 into the air. It is well to keep at a safe distance 

 during the flurry or a stove boat will result. 



When the whale has been killed, the freezing line 

 is hauled in and the animal towed to the vessel to 

 be cut in. The blubber is stripped off as the body 

 rolls over, is sliced into thin sections, and thrown into 

 iron cisterns in the ship's hold; the carcass is then 

 left to sink. 



A full-grown male bottlenose will yield about two 

 tons of oil and two hundredweight of spermaceti, 

 which is contained in the "forehead" in the same rela- 

 tive position as the "case" of the sperm whale. The 

 great masses of fat at the bases of the jawbones are 

 also of considerable value. An analysis of the bot- 

 tlenose oil and spermaceti shows it to be as fine in 

 quality as that of the sperm, and the whales yield a 

 large amount considering their small size. 



The tremendous strength and endurance of the bot- 

 tlenose are proverbial and I doubt if many of the ex- 

 traordinary tales which one hears in the cabins of 

 the shore whaling vessels are greatly exaggerated. It 

 seems certain that this whale can, and does, remain 

 under water longer than any other large cetacean, 

 and its strength and endurance in proportion to its 

 size are probably surpassed only by the killer (Orca 

 orca). 



Bottlenose whales are said to throw their entire 

 bodies into the air, their powerful flukes giving such 

 tremendous power to the leap that they take the water 



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