WHALES. 227 



injured, if not killed. The organs of bearing in the 

 whale are nearly perfect, and that sense is rather acute, 

 but can be of little avail to it in feeding. It has no 

 visible organ of smell, except we suppose such to exist 

 in the spiracles or blow-holes ; but there is reason to 

 conclude that it has such a sense, and that that sense 

 is of use in guiding it to those streams of green-coloured 

 water, in which it is chiefly found, and which derive 

 their colour from myriads of small mollusca. 



The habits or age of the whale are not very much 

 known ; and what is stated, cannot implicitly be relied 

 upon. The period of gestation in the female is sup- 

 posed to be about ten months, and the period of 

 suckling is about a year. The general produce is 

 one young one, though two have sometimes been 

 found following the same female. Some fanciful ac- 

 counts have been given of the mode in which the 

 mother-whale nurses her offspring; but they are not 

 to be relied on. Whales are sought for only to be 

 captured ; and capturing the female when she has her 

 young under her care, is a matter that leaves little 

 time for minute attention to her habits, any further 

 than that she is remarkably careful of her young, 

 and very bold and active in its defence. If come 

 upon unawares, she may be harpooned, and then she 

 clutches the young one in her paws and dives with it ; 

 but returns sooner to the surface than she would if 

 she had it not in charge, apparently to enable it to 

 breathe. If alarmed, or aware of the danger, and 

 sometimes after she has been wounded unawares, she 

 makes terrible resistance, boldly approaching the boat, 

 and lashing at it with blows loud as thunder ; or plung- 



