THE SPOUTING AND MOVEMENTS OF WHALES. (U5 



doubtful, but wh}' should the cetacean dive down there if it finds what 

 it needs with less exertion? 



Fiftli. — The fishing ground: The cetaceans seek in general the 

 proximity of the coasts, and very often they are seen preferably in 

 places of little depth. In these places they execute their movements 

 as usual ; they remain under water as long as when in the open sea, 

 and if they remain there so long it is not in order to have time to 

 reach great depths, as has been said, but simply because they require 

 this time to procure food. 



These, then, are the considerations which cause me to reject entirely 

 the ideas of those who believe that the cetaceans can dive to great 

 depths. I believe, on the contrary, that the cetaceans dive some 

 dozens of meters, and 100 meters seems to me a limit which can hardly 

 be exceeded. 



The onl}' direct observation that I have been able to find w^iich is 

 worthy of confidence confirms this opinion. The Japanese take whales 

 in nets, and in a book on the whale fishery, dating from 1829 (Mobius, 

 1893), I find the following passage: '"Whales which dive deeper than 

 18 hiro (27.1 meters) can not be taken in nets except where the bot- 

 tom does not exceed this depth, but as the Semikoiijira {Balsena 

 japonica, right whale of Japan) does not dive below this depth it can 

 be captured in nets at all depths." 



We see, then, that the right whale does not dive below 28 meters. 

 The right whale is the one whose density is the least, so that when dead 

 it floats; the others dive below 28 meters, but does anyone suppose 

 that the difference can be so great between animals so closeh^ related, 

 having the same habits and the same structure, as to permit that one 

 can not exceed 28 meters while the other can exceed 1,000 meters? 



