OEDER OF CETACEA. 37 



sion that a mixture composed of a very soluble salt o£ strychnine 

 and a twentieth part of curare is sufiicient to put to death one of 

 these animals, when it is administered in doses of half a milli- 

 gramme for every kilogramme of the animal's weight. He then 

 made cartouches, thirty grains in weight, containing this poisonous 

 mixture. One of these cartouches alone is enough to kill a Whale 

 of 60,000 killogrammes in weight ; two would be more than 

 sufficient for the largest Whales of the North Pole, the weight of 

 which perhaps exceeds 100,000 kilogrammes.' 



Dr. Thiercelin then enclosed each cartouche in the projectile, 

 called a ball-harpoon, better known in America under the name of 

 bomb-lance, and which we have just described. This projectile,, 

 fired into the sides of the animal, bursts and projects the poisonous 

 mixture into it. 



In his first journey to Newfoundland Dr. Thiercelin caused his 

 poisonous bombs to be fired at ten Whales of difi'erent sizes. The 

 result was very satisfactory. The ten Whales died in a space of 

 time varying from four to eighteen minutes. Six of these 

 furnished them with their oil and whalebone. Their flesh was 

 not in the least imjDregnated with the poisonous matter, for their 

 carcasses were handled by men who had excoriations, and even 

 recent wounds, on their hands, without a single one having 

 suflered the least harm. Four of these Cetacea, as they belonged 

 to species of which the whalers do not generally take notice, were 

 lost from circumstances independent of the new method. 



The results of this campaign set at rest all doubts as to the future 

 in store for Dr. Thiercelin' s idea. Henceforth there will be no 

 more fear, when a Whale- is attacked, of seeing it escajDe, pierced 

 all over with many blows.. Every Whale hit will be, as it were, 

 already killed. Its capture will be almost certain. There is, 

 then, the germ of a revolution in whaling. 



This system of attack has the advantage of paralyzing in a few 

 instants the movements of the animal. Six or eight minutes after 

 the wound has been inflicted, the fisher can approach the Whale 

 and strike it with his lance to make it bleed, rendering it thus 

 lighter, and preventing it from sinking to the bottom. 



We have not the least doubt of the terrible efficacy of Dr. 

 Thiercelin's system. We even assert that we now fear, that, at 

 some not very distant period, the very extraordinary and innocent 



