BOOK IX. V. 13-V1. 16 



or weakened by travail in giving birth, know only 

 one refuge, to retreat to the deep sea and defend 

 their safety by means of the ocean. Against this the 

 killer whales use every effort to confront them and get 

 in their way, and to slaughter them when cooped up 

 in narrow straits or drive them into shallows and 

 make them dash themselves upon roclis. To 

 spectators these battles look as if the sea were 

 raging against itself, as no winds are blowing in the 

 gulf, but there are waves caused by the whales blow- 

 ing and thrashing that are larger than those aroused 

 by any whirhnnds. A killer whale was actually seen GTampus in 

 in the harbour of Ostia " in battle with the Emperor ^/^," 

 Claudius ^ ; it had come at the time when he was en- 

 gaged in completing the structure of the harbour, 

 being tempted by the wreck of a cargo of hides im- 

 ported from Gaul, and in glutting itself for a number 

 of days had furrowed a hollow in the shallow bottom 

 and had been banked up with sand by the waves so 

 high that it was quite unable to turn round, and 

 while it was pursuing its food which was driven 

 forward to the shore by the waves its back pro- 

 jected far above the water hke a capsized boat. 

 Caesar gave orders for a barrier of nets to be stretched 

 between the mouths of the harbour and setting out in 

 person with the praetorian cohorts afForded a show to 

 the Roman public, the soldiery hurhng lances from 

 the vessels against the creatures when they leapt up 

 alongside, and we saw one of the boats sunk from being 

 filled with water owing to a beast's snorting. 



VI, Whales have their mouths in their foreheads, ^f^ 

 and consequently when swimming on the surface of J^ue^ ^ 

 the water they blow clouds of spray into the air. *?«"**• 

 It is universally admitted that a very few other 



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