142 The Poets and Nature. 



with a voice. " Where loud Lofoden whirls to death the 

 roaring whale." Judging from that poet's natural history 

 generally, it is more than probable that "roaring" was only 

 a truth by accident, for it is undeniable that the whale and 

 its cetaceous relatives, the "quadrupeds" of the sea, "can 

 roar you" both "gently as any sucking dove," or "with that 

 hollow voice of roaring" of the lion in the Progress that 

 came after the Pilgrim at "a great padding pace." Our 

 knowledge of these creatures is very insufficient, for, sad to 

 relate, nearly all our reliable information of their habits has 

 been obtained during the process of murdering them, or after 

 the great things have been murdered. We have no acquaint- 

 ance with the domestic or social life of the whales except in 

 circumstances of terror and bloodshed. Under these con- 

 ditions each of the sea-beasts have uttered sounds. The 

 common dolphin makes "a murmuring, like suppressed low- 

 ing ; " the other, while being killed, " bellowed like a bull." 

 Porpoises when entrapped " uttered cries so distressing, 

 that they had to be killed:" the grampus "groaned most 

 horribly," and the " cries " of the " ca'ing whale " while being 

 put to death were piteous. From all of which it may be 

 assumed that in times of happiness the whale-folk are not 

 voiceless ; and there is abundant foundation for the belief of 

 whalers, and the assent thereto of men of science, that the 

 whales call to each other under water, and communicate the 

 approach of danger by submarine signals of sound. So that 

 the poets who include, the whales among these fishes are in- 

 correct in addressing them as "mute" 



" Nay, the mute fish witness no less His praise, 

 For those He made, and clothed with silver scales, 

 From minnows to those living islands whales." Cowley. 



Nor indeed, when speaking of fishes proper, are poets always 

 correct who address the finned things as "dumb"and "silent." 

 For it is now established as a fact of knowledge that there are 



