THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 231 



an hour and twenty minutes, when he comes up to 

 respire again. 



The resjular recurrence of these motions can be 

 depended on only when the Whale is perfectly at 

 ease ; for, if alarmed, he dives immediately, rising, 

 however, soon again to complete his spoutings. 

 When "going head-out," also, he spouts at every 

 projection of the head, and much more hurriedly 

 than usual One would be apt to suppose that a 

 creature so huge and powerful would be little the 

 subject of fear or alarm ; but, in truth, it is a re- 

 markably timid animal ; the approach even of a 

 boat causing him to descend with precipitation. It 

 is graciously ordained, that the creatures which are 

 formed to contribute to man's comfort or sustenance, 

 though many of them are more powerful than he, 

 should be impressed with such a fear of him, as 

 in general to be incapable of using their superior 

 strength to his disadvantage. " And the fear of you, 

 and the dread of you, shall be upon every beast of 

 the earth, and upon every fowl of the air ; upon all 

 that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes 

 of the sea; into your hand are they delivered."* 

 But this huge animal has other enemies than man : 

 equally wdth the G-reenland Wliale, it is subject to 

 the assaults of some of the larger predaceous fishes ; 

 the Swordfish and the Sawfish plunge into his body 

 their formidable snouts, and the " Thresher " leaps 

 upon him from above. Mr. Beale records the follow- 

 ing incident, as reported to him by an eye-witness, 

 a gentleman on whose veracity he could rely. *' He 



• Gen. ix. 2. 



