THE ARCTIC SEAS. 161 
and an enormous Whale on the other. It was in the 
middle of summer, and the weather being clear, and 
the fish close to the vessel, we had a fine opportunity 
of witnessing the combat. As soon as the Whale’s 
back appeared above the water, the Threshers, 
springing several yards into the air, descended with 
great violence upon the object of their rancour, and 
inflicted upon him the most severe slaps with their 
long tails, the sound of which resembled the reports 
of muskets fired at a distance. The Sword-fish, in 
their turn, attacked the distressed Whale, stabbing 
from below; and thus beset on all sides and wounded, 
when the poor creature appeared, the water around 
him was dyed with blood. In this manner they 
continued tormenting and wounding him for many 
hours, until we lost sight of him; and I have no 
doubt they, in the end, completed his destruction.”* 
Some discredit has been thrown on this and similar 
accounts, on the ground that the fishes could have no 
object in persecuting the Whale; but the circum- 
stance is not more extraordinary than the well- 
known custom which little birds have of surround- 
ing and teasing, or “mobbing,” as it is called, 
any large bird to which they are unaccustomed. It 
has been objected, that the Captain describes the 
proceedings of the Sword-fish from below, when, 
from the reflection of the surface, he could not pos- 
sibly see them. But, on the contrary, the incident 
is said to have occurred “close to the vessel ;” and 
any one who has been at sea knows that in a calm, 
by going aloft, you can see toa great depth in the 
* Memoirs of Capt. H. Crow, p. 11. 
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