THE LACCADIVES AND THE WEST COAST. 425 
landed must have comprised nearly 100 birds of all ages, has 
increased or diminished. 
On the day of our arrival as we were rowing round the 
island, an enorrhous whale, a fin-back (probably Balenoptera 
indica, Blyth) joined us and seemed very anxious to cultivate 
our acquaintance. 
I observed it very carefully as it persisted in keeping abreast 
of us at a distance of from 50 to 70 yards, and am confident 
that it exceeded 100 feet in length. I never saw such a gigan- 
tic creature. Itswam sometimes very high, with half its head, 
nearly half its body and part of its tail above water, and then 
again it would swim for a time with only the back fin showing. 
Suddenly it disappeared, and two minutes afterwards came 
up on the other side of us. We were in very deep water, 
scarcely 200 yards from the shore no doubt, but this was dense- 
ly fringed with jagged rocks on which, comparatively calm 
as the sea was, a furious surf was boiling, and besides, there 
were plenty of sharks knocking about, and we had several 
guns, a chronometer and other valuables with us which it would 
be impossible to save even if we, ourselves, could all effect a safe 
landing. It was, therefore, with no responsive feelings, that 
we marked our Bemoth’s persistent advances ; peaceful he doubt- 
less was, and friendly his intentions, but we well knew the 
innocent fancy that at times seizes even well conducted whales, 
for scratching their remora and barnacle studded backs against 
the bottoms of ships and boats, and should our amiable monster 
thus allow his feelings to get the better of his natural timidity, 
where should we be? Any reader who has never been similar- 
ly situated may laugh, but I can assure him that for the ten 
minutes or so that our uninvited companion stuck to us, we all 
felt the reverse of comfortable. At last to our inexpressible 
relief when we had completely rounded the western end of the 
island, Bemoth dived and finally quitted us. Later in the 
afternoon, however, he paid the “ Clyde” a visit swimming round 
and round her several times, (“very like a whale’? perhaps he 
thought her) and next morning looking down from the cliffs I 
watched him for nearly an hour, lazily gambolling in the deep 
water, where he had joined us on the previous day. 
I have forgotten to note that although the whole of the island 
itself seemed to be composed of laterite, some of the exterior 
outlying rocks appeared to consist of some kind of granite, 
but they were so enveloped in surf that it was impossible to get 
at them to procure specimens. 
February 9th.—Last evening we left Pigeon Island and set 
sail for Cherbaniani reef, the most northerly of the Laccadive 
group. There are large banks, the Cora-divh, Sesostris and 
