A SUMMARY OF GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE 

 SPOUTING AND MOVEMENTS OF WHALES/' 



By Emile G. Racovitza. 



To avoid repetition in the description of the habits of the different 

 species which we have observed, I propose to group in this chapter a 

 certain number of ideas relative to the life of the whales in general. 

 There is much yet to be done on this subject. Many questions have 

 not been answered, many even have not been asked. It will there- 

 fore be useful to sum up in the following pages what is known on 

 this subject and what I have been able to observe myself, and to group 

 the questions systematically. 



Whales are terrestrial mammals that are modified for an exclusively 

 aquatic life. The whale seeks its food in the water, but is obliged 

 to breathe in the air. From these two facts springs all the very 

 special biology of these creatures, as well as the characters of their 

 organization. 



M}- most numerous and, I believe, most novel observations have 

 had for their principal object the necessary respiratory movements of 

 whales. These movements are very regularly performed and very 

 characteristic for each species. The greater part of this chapter will 

 be devoted to them ; the remainder will comprise a description of some 

 other movements which have no bearing on respiration. 1 have 

 entii-ely neglected their reproduction and manner of taking food, 

 because I have had no personal experience on these matters. 



Respiratory movements. 



The respiration of land mammals is accomplished by means of in- 

 spirations and expirations succeeding each other at obviously regular 

 intervals; but when a land mammal plunges into the water its respira- 

 tory rhythm changes. To a series of rapid inspirations and expirations 

 there succeeds a very deep inspiration; then the respiration is sus- 

 pended during immersion. Upon returning to the surface the diver 

 makes a long expiration, succeeded by a series of rapid inspirations 



« Translated by Frederick W. True from the Zoology of the Voyage of the Belgica, 

 Cetology, 1903, pp. 5-19. 



627 



