BY W. LODEWYK CROWTXiER, D.S.O., MB. 149 



A Diagram attached illustrates those various grounds. 

 The Captains of the ship worked as a rule from ground to 

 groulnd. In a log of the "Othello," Capt. A. B. Robinson, 

 every one of the four was visited in turn, resulting in aa 

 excellent catch. 



In the ship's log entries were made O'f all whales seem 

 from the masthead, with special notes for Sperm. 



One reads from day to day of the following having 

 been sighted: — Sperm, Humpback, Finback, Sulphur bot- 

 tom, Black Fish, Killers, Grampus, Cow fish, and Sunfish. 

 The two first named o^nly were pursued by the Tasmanian 

 ships. 



The Spei'm whales moved singly or in ' pods," i.e., 

 groups of two or three with Bulls on the outside. The 

 Sperm whale was approached very quietly from behind, 

 and made fast by one or more lances being darted into 

 him. Once fast more were secured to the whale until 

 it was dead. The Boat's steerer who "darted" the lances 

 eoideaivoui'ed to make fast well forward and to avoid hitting 

 a rib. If not secuired in a vital spot the whale either 

 sounded or ran, and in the former case might go so deeply 

 as to take all the lines and then be lost. Bombs from 

 guns were used as well as lances, in order to kill the whale. 



The Right whale was approached head to head by the 

 boat's crew. Once killed the boat's crew waited for the 

 ship 'to run down to them and make fast to the whale, and 

 the "cutting-in" commenced. The first stage was to re- 

 move the whale's head and get it on board. This was 

 done, because in the Sperm whale one third of the total 

 quantity of Oil is found in the head. The latter con- 

 sisted of two paxts — the "Case" and the "Jumk.' 



The ''Case" contained the clear oil and head matter. 

 This was called the "Spermaceti" (Spermatozoa of the 

 Whale) under misapprehension as to its function. It wats 

 contained in a boney cavity outside the craniu'm proper. 

 The oil from the case is a clear amber colour and amounts 

 to one third of the total from the whale. A hole was cut 

 into the cavity and the oil bailed direct into barrels placed 

 for that purpose on either side of the gangway. From 

 these barrels it was taken to the "Try Works" and used 

 later to commence the process of trying out. 



The '\Junk." The remaining portion of the head 

 contained a large amount of Oil in its cellular tissues, 

 which was comparable to Honey in the Comb. This sub- 

 stance the Sailors called "white horse." The Junk when 



