Class IV. COMMON WHALE. 67 



greatly reduced by the constant capture for 

 such a vast length of time : some recent ac- 

 counts inform us, that the fishers, from a defect 

 of whales, apply themselves to seal fishery, from 

 which animals they extract an oil. This we fear 

 will not be of any long continuance ; for these 

 shy and timid creatures will soon be induced to 

 quit thoses hores by being perpetually harassed, 

 as the morse or walrus has already in a great 

 measure done. We are also told, that the poor 

 natives of Greenland begin even now to suffer 

 from the decrease of the seal in their seas, it 

 being their principal subsistence ; so that should 

 it totally desert the coast, the whole nation 

 would be in danger of perishing through want. 



In old times the whale seems never to have Royal Fish. 

 been taken on our coasts, but when it was acci- 

 dentally flung ashore : it was then deemed a 

 royal fish, * and the king and queen divided the 

 spoil ; the king asserting his right to the head, 

 her majesty to the tail, f 



* Item habet warectum maris per totum regnum Ballenas et 

 Sturgiones captos, &c. Edwardi II. anno J 7 mo. 

 + Blachstone s Com. I. c. 4. 



* 2 



