THE SPERM WHALES. 



577 



to the upper one, and also move it laterally to 

 a remarkable extent. When it is harpooned, it 

 sometimes remains lying quite still in the water for 

 a few moments as though it were paralyzed, thus 

 giving a vigilant whaler opportunity to despatch it 

 quickly. As a rule, however, it engages in a des- 

 perate conflict for its life and by no means always 

 seeks safety in flight, but retaliates for the injury 

 received, with stern fury. All experienced seafarers 

 have stories to tell about accidents, caused by it; 

 some of these tales may be exaggerated or invented, 

 but others have been thoroughly proven. 

 Adventure of Whal- The ship Nantucket was made a 



ers with Sperm complete wreck, in the year 1807, 

 Whales. b y a Sperm Whale, off the coast 



of Massachusetts. In 

 1820 the boats of the 

 ship Essex hunted a 



school of Sperm Whales §S?gj H|i(it!fti 



in the South Sea, while 

 the ship was following 

 under shortened sail. A 

 gigantic bull appeared 

 in proximity to the ship 

 and leisurely swimming 5j| 

 up to it, struck itself 

 against it, as it seemed, 

 quite accidentally. The 

 ship was severely shaken 

 and the Whale also ap- 

 peared to be seriously 

 injured, for it rolled 

 furiously about in the 

 water; soon, however, it 

 recovered and made off 

 — at least such was the 

 belief of the crew, who 

 were working at the 

 pumps, for a consider- 

 able leak had been 

 sprung in consequence 

 of the collision. The 

 Whale was seen to sud- 

 denly halt at a distance 

 of about one hundred 

 fathoms, turn around and 

 charge full at the vessel; 

 it struck one side of the 

 bow and crushed it to 

 such an extent that the 

 ship immediately began 

 to sink. Some old bulls 

 are well known to the 

 whalers, and have ac- 

 quired a kind of celeb- 

 rity as "fighting Whales," 

 or "biting Whales," as for 

 instance "New Zealand 



Tom," a gigantic fellow, named after its favorite 

 waters. It is said to have its wits sharpened to such 

 an extent that it meets any attack half way and 

 smashes or bites through the boats which do not 

 escape in time. The ships themselves it leaves un- 

 molested. It is immortalized in songs and in tales; 

 its back is said to be studded with harpoons, resem- 

 bling that of a Porcupine. At any rate one may re- 

 gard the Sperm Whale as the most gallant or the 

 noblest of all Whales; it is the type of a genuine 

 monster of the sea. 



The gain to be expected from the pursuit of the 

 Sperm Whale, however great it may be, is too little 



to compensate for the serious dangers with which 

 the undertaking is fraught. Besides the blubber, 

 which yields very good oil, spermaceti and ambergris 

 are also taken from the Cachalots. The spermaceti 

 which is baled out of the cavity in the head, is fluid, 

 transparent and nearly colorless in its fresh state; 

 it coagulates in a cold temperature and then assumes 

 a white color. It is used in medicine and in the 

 manufacture of candles, which are preferred to all 

 others. Of still greater value is the ambergris, about 

 which so many fables were current from ancient 

 times, until it was recognized to be an excretion of 

 the Cachalot; it is a light, wax-like substance of very 

 variable color, and possessed of a very agreeable 

 odor; it softens in heat, changes into an oily liquid 



THE SPERM WHALE. Tl 



log-liire head which is flattened at the 

 extensively hunted, principally for its 



lis great monster, which frequently exceeds seventy feet in length, has a heavy, 

 extremity, and the blow-holes are placed in front of the head. This Whale is 

 oil, which is a valuable article of commerce. (Catodnmacrocethalus.) 



in boiling water, and evaporates when subjected to 

 great heat. It is largely used for fumigating pur- 

 poses and is also mixed with perfumed oils and 

 soaps. It is more frequently found floating in the 

 ocean than in the body of a Whale. There is no 

 doubt that pieces one hundred and eighty pounds 

 in weight, five feet in length and over twenty inches 

 in thickness have been found floating on the water. 

 Besides these substances the teeth of the Sperm 

 Whale are also put to account. The pulp is some- 

 what yellowish, but firm and durable, and the teeth 

 are extensively used for buttons and chips; one 

 pound is worth from half a dollar to one dollar. 



