THE FITNESS OF RIGHT WHALES 77 
on the frayed inner edges of the baleen plates, 
collected by the slow raising of the fat and flabby 
tongue, and then passed down into the narrow gullet. 
Whatever a Cachalot may have done, no Right 
Whale ever swallowed even a minor prophet. 
No one has yet got on terms of intimacy with 
a Black Right Whale, but the general impression 
seems to be that it is a gentle creature, only taking 
the offensive when tormented. It may then break 
a boat with the impact of its bonnet or bumper. 
In illustration of its endurance Mr. Allen quotes 
the case of a “ sixty-barrel” Right Whale which 
was struck early in the morning off Nantucket, and, 
heading out to sea, towed a boat with six men in 
it for seven hours, and eventually got free. It took 
the men five hours’ hard pulling to get home. Very 
little is known of the breeding habits, but the 
pairing seems to take place in early summer and the 
birth in January or February. The length of the 
newborn calf is about 20 feet. It is said to 
accompany its mother for at least a year, being 
weaned when between one and two years old. 
There is no doubt as to the parental attachment of 
the mother, for she will sacrifice herself in the 
attempt to rescue her offspring, or in the refusal 
to leave it even when dead. So far as is known, 
the North Atlantic Right Whale has no natural 
enemies, and they are not known to fight among 
themselves. It is a long-lived, dumb, peace-loving 
creature—too gentle to survive man’s frightfulness 
for long. 
