24 MARINE MAMMALS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN COAST. 



accident, and dashing the water into foam and spray about them. At times, in 

 cahn weather, they are seen lying on the water quite motionless, keeping one posi- 

 tion for an hour or more. At such times the sea-gulls and cormorants frequently 

 alight upon the huge beasts. The first season in Scammon's Lagoon, coast of Lower 

 California, the boats were lowered several times for them, we thinking that the 

 animals when in that position were dead or sleeping, but before the boats arrived 

 within even shooting distance they were on the move again. 



About the shoals at the moutli of one of the lagoons, in 1860, we saw large 

 numbers of the monsters. It was at the low stage of the tide, and the shoal places 

 were plainly marked by the constantly foaming breakers. To our surprise we saw 

 many of the whales going through the surf where the depth of water was barely 

 sufficient to fioat them. We could discern in many places, by the white sand 

 that came to the surface, that they must be near or touching the bottom. One 

 in particular, lay for a half- hour in the breakers, playing, as seals often do in a 

 heavy surf; turning from side to side with half- extended fins, and moved appar- 

 ently by the heavy ground - swell which was breaking ; at times making a playful 

 spring with its l^ending flukes, throwing its body clear of the water, coming down 

 wdth a heavy splash, then making two or three spouts, and again settling under 

 water ; perhaps tlie next moment its head would appear, and with the heavy swell 

 the animal would roll over in a listless manner, to all appearance enjoying the sport 

 intensely. We passed close to this sportive animal, and had only thirteen feet of 

 water. 



The habits of the Gray have brought upon it many significant names, among 

 which the most prominent are, "Hard-head," " Mussel - digger," "Devil-fish," 

 "Gray -back," and "Rip -sack." The first - mentioned misnomer arose from the 

 fact of the animals having a great propensity to root the boats when coming in 

 contact with them, in the same manner that hogs upset their empty troughs. More- 

 over, they are known to descend to soft bottoms in search of food, or for other 

 purposes ; and, when returning to the surface, they have been seen with head and 

 lips besmeared with the dark ooze from the depths below ; * hence the name of 



*To our personal knowledge, but little or no of the estuaries. Whether this was taken into 



food has been found in the animal's stomach. the stomach as food some naturalists doubt, giv- 



We have examined several taken in the lagoons, ing as a reason that the whale, passing through 



and in them we found what the whalers called the water mixed with this vegetable matter, on 



"sedge" or "sea-moss" (a sort of sea-cabbage), opening its mouth would of necessity receive 



which at certain seasons darkens the waters in more or less of it, which would be swallowed, 



extensive patches both in and about the mouths there being no other way in which it could be 



