Right Whale 



eight feet clear of the water, they go down for periods of twelve 

 to fifteen minutes. 



Whales of all sorts have been so persistently pursued and 

 killed that they are to-day very much reduced in numbers and 

 the survivors have become so wary that it is much more difficult 

 to hunt them than it was in former years. 



Originally whales came regularly along the New England coast 

 and were hunted from shore, the boats putting out after them 

 as soon as they were sighted, but as years passed they learned to 

 keep farther out to sea and vessels had to be especially equipped 

 for their pursuit. In his account of whale-hunting Scammon 

 states that when the whale has been sighted the whale boats 

 with their full equipment and manned by their regular crews are 

 lowered from the vessel and start upon the chase. "The whale 

 is approached in the most cautious manner to avoid exciting it. 

 If necessary, the oars are used, but in calm weather the paddles 

 are resorted to. When within darting distance, which is about 

 three fathoms, the order is given to the boat steerer to stand up. 

 He instantly springs to his feet and, seizing the harpoon (to 

 which a long rope is attached), he darts it into the whale. If 

 opportunity offers a second iron is also thrown before the animal 

 gets out of reach. When the harpoons are darted the order is 

 given to ' stern all ' and the oarsmen make every effort to force 

 the boat astern in order to be well clear of the animal in its 

 painful convulsions from the first wounds received. 



"When struck the whale may attempt to escape by running, 

 if so, every exertion is made by the boat's crew to haul up the 

 animal so as to shoot a bomb into it or work upon it with a 

 hand lance or, if the creature descends to the depths below, 

 which is called 'sounding,' every effort is made to check the 

 movement by holding on to the line or by slowly slacking it. 

 In this manoeuvre the boat is occasionally hauled bow under water. 

 Sometimes all the line is taken out almost instantly, when it is 

 cut to prevent the boat from being taken down and the whale 

 escapes. 



"The whale after being struck often runs to windward, thrash- 

 ing its flukes in every direction. After going a short distance 

 it frequently stops or brings to, at the same time making a ter- 

 rible noise called 'bellowing,' this sound is compared to that of a 

 mammoth bull and adds much to the excitement of the chase and 



15 



