YESSO. J 



in no way concerned at the intrusion. I passed quietly 

 along within a few feet of the rocks on which they 

 lay. Some of the females slipped off into the water, 

 but the old males merely raised their great heads, stared 

 with their great eyes, and roarfed. As I was watching 

 and admiring these creatures, a couple of high-finned 

 cachalots came slowly along, straight towards us, their 

 great' scythe-like backfin making graceful curves as 

 they appeared and disappeared under the water. They 

 took no notice whatever of the boat, but passed immedi- 

 ately under it, and I was relieved to see the huge creature 

 rise clear of us a few yards ahead. The water was very 

 deep, right up to the rocks, and beautifully clear, and I 

 could see quite distinctly the huge black mass under the 

 boat ; they were evidently feeding, and probably search- 

 ing for cuttle-fish close along the rocks, which is a 

 favourite food amongst many of the whale tribe. I 

 never came across this particular kind of whale except 

 off the eastern coasts of Yesso, but there they are 

 plentiful. When feeding, or in an undisturbed state, 

 they come constantly to the surface ; their great back- 

 fin then shows most conspicuously, and I often judged 

 it quite eight feet in length when the animal was 

 about thirty. I have called it the high-finned cachalot 

 (Physeier tursio), because it resembles no other species. 

 The cold arctic stream which rounds the extreme 



