THE OCEAN MAMMALS 353 



enemy. Because of the enormous pressures which must 

 be endured by the animal, the external opening of the ear 

 is reduced to the diameter of a crow-quill, whereas the 

 opening of the ear into the nose the Eustachian tube 

 is very large. Deafness, following the closing of this tube 

 by adenoid growths in children, has made most of us know 

 of the existence of this second " ear-hole." The whale 

 actually hears through his nose, in a way similar to that 

 by which a person listens " open-mouthed." The eyes are 

 very small ; this is not a disadvantage, fixed as the eyes are 

 in such positions that the animal can see well neither ahead 

 nor astern. Sight can hardly be much used as a feeding 

 sense; think of looking for your food when you have to 

 catch millions of tiny creatures, like copepods, to satisfy 

 your appetite ! It has been said that a whale brought to 

 land does not die of asphyxiation, for he can breathe an 

 hour or two at least ; that, on the other hand, he does die 

 of starvation. He must eat incessantly or die. 



On a fine morning on the Labrador coast, I have counted 

 a dozen whales in a single school. Now and again a huge 

 tail would emerge from the water and lash the surface 

 with its full breadth, making a sound like the firing of a 

 cannon, while the silence of the stillness was otherwise 

 broken only by the noise of their blowing, as they rolled 

 lazily along on the surface. I have seen the thresher whales 

 making their huge prey hurl his whole immense body clear 

 out of the water, only to fall back with the splash of a 

 waterfall, and the noise of a thunderclap, to be stabbed by 

 the swordfish below, or eaten alive by the fearful jaws of 

 his enemy. 



In order to remain below water so long as they do (a 



2A 



