3i6 UTILITARIAN ZOOLOGY 



— or as Ambroise Pare, from whom Fischer quotes, spelt it, 

 Biaris — that the main fisheries were undertaken. . . . The in- 

 habitants set upon a hill a tower from which they could see 'the 

 balaines which pass, and perceiving them coming partly by the 

 loud noise they make, and partly by the water which they throw 

 out by a conduit which they possess in the middle of the fore- 

 head.' Several boats then set out in pursuit, some of which were 

 reserved for men whose sole duty it was to pick out of the water 

 their comrades who had overbalanced themselves in their ex- 

 citement. The harpoons bore a mark by which their respective 

 owners could recognize them, and the carcass of the animal was 

 shared in accordance with the numbers and owners of the har- 

 poons found sticking in the dead body of the whale. At this 

 period the fishery was at its height, but it continued to be an 

 occupation along those shores until the beginning of the eigh- 

 teenth century, after which it gradually declined. The fishery 

 of whales began to be carried farther afield than the shore, and 

 for a long time the Basques furnished expert harpooners to 

 whaling vessels proceeding to the Arctic seas." 



Toothed Whales [Odontoceti). — The largest of these is the 

 Cachalot or Sperm W^hale {^Physetei- macrocephalus, fig. 1227), 

 which has been credited with reaching a length of over 80 feet, 

 though this is probably an exaggeration. It ranges throughout 

 the warmer seas of the world. The great head possesses a 

 squarish snout that projects in front of the mouth, which is 

 consequently placed on the under side of the body, obliging the 

 Cachalot, it is said, to turn over like a shark when it wishes to 

 bite. Many stories are current regarding the fierceness of this 

 animal, and no doubt many whale-boats have been crushed in its 

 formidable jaws, but that whaling and other vessels have at 

 times been reported "missing" as a result of the attacks of 

 Cachalots, as has been suggested, would appear to be more 

 problematical. Like other cetaceans, this whale has a thick coat 

 of blubber under the skin, and the front part of the skull is 

 modified into a curious basin-shaped receptacle, which is full of 

 the liquid fat known as spermaceti. As much as forty-five barrels 

 of this have been taken from a single individual. Mixed with a 

 small percentage of bees'-wax it was formerly much used in 

 manufacturing candles of the better sort. 



The White Whale or Beluga {^Delphinaptei'us leucas) is an 



