356 WILD BEASTS OT THE WORLD 



sto enter the "voes" or inlets of the sea. When a shoal is seen about 

 •such a place, every One who can turns put, and Boats put out and try 

 to get behind the Whales and drive the whole school up the voe 

 into shallow water. This tney can easily clo unless the leader breaks 

 away; and if they succeed, there follows a massacre bf 7 the unfortunate 

 Blac'kfish with any available weapon, women as well as men taking 

 their .share in the work. Such a capture is' a windfall indeed to the 

 islanders, for each Whale is reckoned to be worth more than three 

 pounds, yielding a barrel of oil and a 'good supply" of meat 



* THE BELUGA . v 



[Bvlpkincvpterus Jeucas) 



"The Beluga, or White Whale^ which is the only close ally of the 



Narhwal, next to be noticed, much resembles the female of that 



animal in form, having no back-fin and a comparatively small head. 



It has not the Narhwal's tusk, however, but possesses a set of ordinary 



teeth ; but these are not large, and^ there are only eight or ten on each 



side of the jaws. In length this animal reaches four yards or more. 



The colour is pure white in fully adult individuals, but younger ones 



arc mottled, and the youngest specimens are grey. - The White Whale 



rfeeds on fish -and Cuttles; it is one of the characteristic Arcticanimals 



? found everywhere in the high North, but it sometimes strays southwards, 



.and several individuals have occurred on our own coasts. This is one 



-of the very few Cetaceans which have been kept in captivity ; a pair 



were once exhibited for a short time at the Brightoa Aquarium, and 



one which was kept in America got so tame that it would come up 



to be harnessed, and carry,;. people round its tank on its back.* 



