Voracity of the " Mollies." 



139 



of the " mollies " swarming round the ship is per- 

 fectly astonishing ; it is impossible to drive or 

 frighten them away, though repeatedly struck at 

 with the blubber knives and boat-hooks. The men 

 at work on the whale alongside catch them easily 

 with their hands, and will fling them back amongst 

 their companions, who for the moment will rise 

 affrighted on the wing, but only to settle again 

 directly and resume the banquet. It is almost in- 

 credible to witness the enormous pieces of blubber 

 that these birds can swallow ; and they are so 

 ravenous and greedy, that I have frequently seen 

 them, after filling to repletion, swim a short dis- 

 tance away from the ship (being unable to fly in 

 consequence of the amount which they had eaten), 

 and, disgorging the contents of their stomachs, re- 

 turn again to the feast. 



"Walrus. 



