146 TEE CRUISE OF THE " CACHALOT:* 



tiny Crustacea which support the Mysticetae, the cachalots 

 seem to be confined for their diet to cuttle-fish, and, from 

 their point of view, the bigger the latter are the better. 

 How big they may become in the depths of the sea, no 

 man knoweth ; but it is unlikely that even the vast speci- 

 mens seen are full-sized, since they have only come to 

 the surface under abnormal conditions, like the one 

 I have attempted to describe, who had evidently been 

 dragged up by his relentless foe. 



Creatures like these, who inhabit deep waters, and do 

 not need to come to the surface by the exigencies of their 

 existence, necessarily present many obstacles to accurate 

 investigation of their structure and habits ; but, from the 

 few specimens that have been obtained of late years, 

 fairly comprehensive details have been compiled, and 

 may be studied in various French and German works, of 

 which the Natural History Museum at South Kensington 

 possesses copies. These, through the courtesy of the 

 authorities in charge, are easily accessible to students 

 who wish to prosecute the study of this wonderful branch 

 of the great mollusca family. 



When we commenced to cut in our whale next morn- 

 ing, the sea was fairly alive with fish of innumerable 

 kinds, while a vast host of sea-birds, as usual, waited 

 impatiently for the breaking-up of the huge carcass, 

 which they knew would afford them no end of a feast. 

 An untoward accident, which happened soon after the 

 work was started, gave the waiting myriads immense 

 satisfaction, although the unfortunate second mate, whose 

 slip of the spade was responsible, came in for a hurricane 

 of vituperation from the enraged skipper. It was in 

 detaching the case from the head — always a work of 

 difficulty, and requiring great precision of aim. Just as 



