MAMMALIA — WHALE. 399 



harpoons, four lances, and a crew of six men, proceed in pursuit, and, if 

 possible, each boat strikes or "fastens to," a distinct animal, and each crew 

 kills their o^vn. When engaged in distant pursuit, the harpooner generally 

 steers the boat, and in such cases the proper boat steerer occasionally strikes, 

 but the harpooner mostly kills it. If one cachalot of a herd is struck, it 

 commonly takes the lead and is followed by the rest. The one which is 

 struck, seldom descends far under water, but generally swims off with great 

 rapidity, stopping after a short course, so that the boat can be drawn up to 

 it by the line, or be rowed sufficiently near to lance it. In the agonies 

 of death, the struggles of the animal are truly tremendous, and the surface 

 of the ocean is lashed into foam by the motions of the fins and tail. Tall 

 jets of blood are discharged from the blow-holes, which show that the 

 wounds have taken mortal effect, and seeing this, the boats are kept aloof, 

 lest they should be dashed to pieces by the violent efforts of the victim. 



When a herd is attacked in this v/ay, ten or twelve of the number are 

 killed. Those which are only wounded are rarely captured. After the 

 cachalot is killed, the boats tow it to the side of the ship, and if the weather 

 be fine, and other objects of chase in view, they are again sent to the attack. 



About three tons of oil are commonly obtained from a large cachalot ; 

 from one to two tons are procured from a small one. A cargo, produced 

 from one hundred cachalots, may be from one hundred and fifty to tv/o hun- 

 dred tons of oil, besides the spermaceti, &:c. 



THE SMALL EYED, OR BLACK HEADED 

 SPERMACETI WHALE,i 



Is one of the most formidable monsters of the deep. It has an enormous 

 daric colored head, armed with twenty-one projecting teeth on each side 

 of the jaw. In a full grown specimen, these teeth are nine inches in length. 

 This whale is often more than fifty feet in length, and is uncommonly 

 active. Sharks, dolphins, and porpoises fall an easy prey to it. 



THE COMMON WHALE^ 



Is the largest of all animals, being sometimes one hundred feet in length. 

 It is commonly met v/ith from sixty to seventy feet. The head makes a 



' Physeter microps, Lacep. 



• Balana mysticetus, Lin. The genus Balasna has no teeth; upper jaw keel-formed, 

 furnished on each side with whalebone, or transverse horny lanuna;, slender, serrated, 

 and attenuated at the edges ; orifices of the spiracles separated, and placed towards the 

 middle of the upper part of the head ; a dorsal fin in some species ; nodosities on the back 

 in others. 



