VOL. LXXXI.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRAfifSACTIONS. 7 



look for ambergris in whales that are killed? — a. It has not hitherto been much 

 the practice to do so. — q. How happened it that you discovered this? — a. We 

 saw it come out of the fundament of the whale; as we were cutting the blubber, 

 a piece of it swam on the surface of the sea. — a. In what part of the whale did 

 you find the remainder? — a. Some more was in the same passage, and the rest 

 was contained in a bag a little below the passage, and communicating with it. — 

 e. Did the whale appear to be in health? — a. No; she did not. She seemed 

 sickly, had no flesh on her bones, and was very old, as appears by the teeth, 2 

 of which I have. Though she was about 35 feet long, she did not produce 

 above 1 ton and a half of oil. A fish of the same size, in good health, would 

 have produced 1 tons and a half. — a. Have you observed the food that whales 

 generally feed on ? — a. The spermaceti whale feeds, as I believe, almost wholly 

 on a fish called squids. I have often seen a whale, when dying, bring up a 

 quantity of squid, sometimes whole, and sometimes pieces of it. The bills of 

 the squid (some of which Mr. Coffin produced) were found, some in the inside, 

 and some on the outside of the ambergris, sticking to it. — a. Did you ever find 

 any ambergris floating on the sea? — a. I never did, but others frequently have. — 

 a. How long have you been engaged in the whale fishery? — a. It is about l6 

 years since I first entered into it. — a. What is the general proportion of bull 

 and cow whales you have met with? — a. I believe the proportion to be nearly 

 equal. In my last voyage however I found only 4 bulls out of 35 whales. I 

 fished on the coast of Africa between 5° north and 7° south latitude. I am in- 

 clined to think, that the cow whale goes to calve in the low latitudes, which ac- 

 counts for more cows being found in those latitudes. — a. Is there any particular 

 season when the cow whales calve? — a. I do not know that there is. — a. Does 

 the bull or cow whale, in proportion to their size, produce most oil? — A. The 

 cow whale, when big with calf, produces more oil than a bull whale of the same 

 size; when suckling, she produces less. — a. Are the whales usually found singly, 

 or in pairs? or in large numbers? — a. Usually in large numbers, which we call 

 scools, and particularly in the low latitudes. I have seen from 15 to perhaps 

 1000 together. — a. Have you any further information on this subject to give the 

 committee? — a. We have generally observed, that the spermaceti whale, when 

 struck, voids her excrement; if she does not, we conjecture that she has amber- 

 gris in her. I think ambergris most likely to be found in a sickly fish; for I con- 

 sider it to be the cause or the effect of some disorder. 



Questions put to Mr. Champion. 



a. At what price does ambergris usually sell; and at what price did that, taken 



by your ship, sell? — a. A small quantity had lately sold at 25s. per ounce; but 



it was then very scarce. Mine sold for ] gs. gd. per ounce. The whole quantity, 



found in this whale, was 362 ounces Troy. The people who bought it told me. 



