xu FEROCITY OF THE CACHALOT 365 



One of the reasons for the pursuit of the Sperm AVhale is 

 the desire to obtain tliat extremely valuable product ambergris. 

 This substance has long been known ; but its true nature was 

 for centuries in dispute. In Dr. Johnson's Dictionary (so 

 recently as the edition of 1818 ') ambergris is provided with 

 alternative definitions ; it is either the excrement of birds waslied 

 oft' rocks, or honeycombs that have fallen into tlie sea ! 



An old writer asserted of ambergris tliat it was " not the scum 

 or excrement of the whale, but issues out of the root of a tree, 

 which tree, howsoever it stands on the land, alwaies slioots forth 

 its roots towards the sea, seaking the warmth of it, thereby to 

 deliver the fattest gum that coms out of it, which tree other- 

 wise by its copious fatness might be burnt and destroyed." 

 These " explanations " were caused by the fact that ambergris is 

 sometimes found floating in the sea. Ambergris is, of course, a 

 product of the intestinal canal of the Sperm "Whale ; it seems to 

 be of- the nature of cholesterin, and its place of origin was con- 

 clusively proved by finding the beaks of cuttle-fish imbedded in 

 it. "When first extracted from the alimentary canal it is of 

 greasy feel and consistency ; later it hardens, and acquires its 

 characteristic sweet earthy odour. Ambergris is used mainly as 

 a vehicle for scents, and is a costly substance. X piece weighing 

 1.30 lbs. was valued at £500. Though now entirely used in 

 connexion with perfumery, it was held by the ancients to be of 

 great value as a specific in certain diseases. 



The Sperm "Whale is chiefly a tropical animal. Examples 

 tliat have been cast up on our shores are strayed individuals. It 

 often goes about in herds, which seem to be composed of females. 

 Its food is chiefly cuttle-fishes, and it is said to have a pre- 

 dilection for those colossal cuttle-fishes whose existence has 

 until recently been doubted. Mr. BuUen has sketched a conflict 

 between these two giants of the deep. On the other hand it is 

 said that its large throat, more than big enough to swallow a man 

 (the "Whale is credited with being that which swallowed Jonah), 

 does not usually admit fishes larger than Bonitos and Albacores. 



The ferocity of the Cachalot has been denied and affirmed. 

 It certainly has great strength, for it can throw itself com- 

 pletely out of the water. Captain Scammon tliinks that ships 

 which are mysteriously lost at sea, with no obviously assignable 

 cause, are sometimes the victims of the furious rushes of a bull 



