THE PACIFIC OCEAN, 22!) 



The general colour of the animal is very dark grey, 

 nearly black on the upper parts, hut more silvery 

 beneath. Old males usually have a large spot of pale 

 gi-ey on the front of the head, when they are said to 

 be grey-headed. The motions of these enormous 

 creatures are exceedingly curious : when moving per- 

 fectly at leisure, the Whale swims slowly along, just 

 below the surface of the water, effecting his progress 

 by gently moving Ms tail from side to side obliquely. 

 The bunch and hump may be seen above the water, 

 and by the disturbance which they cause in cutting 

 the fluid, some foam is produced, by which an expe- 

 rienced whaler can judge, even at some miles' distance, 

 how fast the animal is going. When disturbed, how- 

 ever, or from any cause inclined to increase his 

 velocity, he uses a very different mode of progression. 

 The broad tail now strikes the water upward and 

 downward alternately with great force ; at every 

 blow downward the fore part sinks down several 

 yards into the water, while by the force of the up- 

 ward blow the head is thrust entirely out of the 

 water. A Whale can swim in this manner, the head 

 alternately appearing and disappearing, which the 

 seamen call "going head-out," at the rate of twelve 

 miles an hour. It may appear surprising that so 

 bulky a portion of the animal as the enormous head, 

 should be so easily thrust into the air, the head being 

 usually the heaviest part of an animal : but here we 

 trace the beneficent hand of God in creation, the 

 volume of the head being occupied not with dense 

 bone, but, as we have seen, witli an oil which is 

 considerably lighter than water, and which renders 



