VOYAGE OF THE ' ECLIPSE.' 97 



broken and more than one boat narrowly escaped being capsized. 

 Subsequently the whale received a fourth harpoon, when, throwing 

 its tail high in the air, it disappeared. The boats were patiently 

 waiting its reappearance, many with some of their oars broken, 

 all the seamen more or less drenched. Suddenly, but slowly and 

 steadily, the animal's tail was seen rising vertically upward, close 

 alongside one of the boats ; having reached a certain height, it 

 commenced to descend with equal slowness, rubbing against the 

 boat's gunwale all the while, until at length it sank out of sight. 

 A few minutes afterwards the animal quietly floated up to the 

 surface dead. 



June 13th. Life very abundant, Narwhals and Floe-rats 

 being particularly numerous. Four Bears were shot, and several 

 others were seen ; of the former two were mother and young, the 

 latter, however, so large as to be scarcely recognisable as a cub. 

 The same evening, while two of these bear-skins were towing 

 astern, a Narwhal was noticed following in the wake ; after 

 examining the bear-skins it seized hold of one of them with its 

 mouth and commenced tugging at it, and if it had not been for a 

 timely rifle-bullet would undoubtedly have succeeded in tearing 

 the skin to pieces. 



June 19th. Laying in a small " bight" in the ice-edge, where 

 we have been for several days. Narwhals have been very abundant, 

 visiting us regularly every morning, being always most numerous 

 about 4 a.m. A few Arctic Terns, Sterna hirundo, seen in the 

 morning. At night we passed a small land-bird resembling a 

 Snipe sitting on a piece of ice. 



June 21st. A heavy point of ice, which, hitherto remaining 

 close and impenetrable, had extended over a considerable portion 

 of the whaling-banks, now broke up and we were enabled to reach 

 this part of the ground. The water, although blue and clear, 

 contained a very great abundance of whales' food, Calanus Jin- 

 viarckicus. Narwhals were playing about in hundreds; here 

 also had been the Greenland Right Whale quite recently and in no 

 inconsiderable numbers. This we were led to believe from the 

 quantities of "blowings" (mucous discharges from the spiracles 

 of whales) which were lying about everywhere on the surface of 

 the sea. Some of these blowings still shed a film of oil around 

 them, and appeared to be of no great age. More convincing 

 Still, perhaps, amongst it there was found the hard shell of that 



ZOOLOGIST.— MABCH, 1887. I 



