THE SPOUTING AND MOVEMENTS OF WHALES. 641 



the water. This lieing so, the waste products of digestion of the 

 mammals and birds which feed upon them must contain oil. It is 

 therefore possible that the large whales excrete small quantities of 

 oilj matter, which may be the origin of the "slicks" observed. 



Various movements executed by cetaceans. 



The movements thus far analyzed are the habitual movements, and, 

 so to speak, permanent in the normal life of the whales, but there are 

 others which these animals execute under certain conditions which are 

 special, or exceptional in their lives, and which we must now anah^ze. 



^1. Leaps and gambols. — These movements are observed among 

 many cetaceans, but especially among certain species, in connection 

 with which the}^ constitute a genuine specific character. The hump- 

 back is especially prone to leaping out of water, which will be described 

 in detail in a subsequent chapter. The finbacks do not appear to 

 indulge in these gambols, but they enter into the habits of the sperm 

 whale (Beale, 1839). American and English whalers have coined a 

 word to designate the action of leaping out of water among large 

 whales. They call it "breaching." The small porpoises spring out 

 of water and are known to follow vessels under wa}^ and to outstrip 

 them in speed. Large finbacks are also mentioned which have fol- 

 lowed boats for a very long time (Rodler, 1888). 



B. Resting on the surface. — Right whales and humpbacks have the 

 habit of remaining motionless at the surface of the water. The 

 whalers pretend that it is for the purpose of sleeping, but this asser- 

 tion needs to be confirmed. 



It appears from the published observations that this resting on the 

 water is but rarely observed. I only saw it once during three seasons 

 which 1 passed in Gerlacho Strait, when our vessel was constantly 

 surrounded b}- humpbacks. It has never been observed with certainty 

 among the finbacks or porpoises. This seems to me to indicate that it 

 can not be interpreted as a function so normal and periodic as sleep. 



But it properl}^ may be asked whether whales sleep at all. I am 

 inclined to answer this question negatively. During our sojourn in 

 Gerlache Strait and among the icebergs we heard the whales blow at 

 all hours of day and night, confirming Jouan's observation of 1882. 

 I often observed porpoises following the boats at night, while on the 

 other hand, Ddpli'mus delphis L. (common dolphin) caused havoc in 

 the fishing apparatus used for taking anchovies and sardines at all 

 times and at all hours of the day and night. 



Rodler (1888, p. 274) reports that a steamer was followed l)v the 

 same school of cetaceans from Cape Horn to Liverpool, and Moseley 

 (1892, p. 9) declares that a humpback {Megaptera) followed the Chal- 

 lenger many days. During these vo3'ages the whales must liave swum 



