THE BOWHEAD, OR GREAT POLAR WHALE. 57 



more. The depth to which the animal descends when pursued is not accurately 

 known, for as a general rule, it has been captured "on soundings" in the Arctic 

 Ocean and Behring Sea, as well as in the Sea of Okhotsk, where the depths, in 

 places, do not exceed a hundred fathoms, and from that to less than fifty. Some- 

 times they have been taken in very shallow water ; yet this animal, when in deep 

 water, has been known to "sound out" a line, in its descent and return, equal to a 

 mile in length. But it must not be inferred that this was done by the perpendic- 

 ular course of the whale, for it is found that the line runs out with great swiftness, 

 when the creature begins its return to the surface. Repeated instances have 

 occurred, where the animal, after being fastened to, would "sound;" and, if the 

 bottom was soft, would there remain motionless for quite an incredible length of 

 time for this species of Cetacea. In several cases, individuals have held their pur- 

 suers in momentary expectation of their rising, for an hour or more. One instance 

 occurred with Captain Comstock, (a well-known whaling -master), in the Arctic 

 Ocean, when, after fastening to a huge Bowhead, the creature descended to the 

 muddy bottom, and there remained for an hour and twenty minutes. The day was 

 unusually cold, and the men in the boats became much chilled during this period 

 of inactivity ; and to use the captain's own words, when giving an accovmt of the 

 incident, "The old sogger nearly played us a game of freeze - out." When the 

 whale returned to the top of the water, it was literally covered with mud, and 

 appeared much exhausted. A thrust of the lance prevented the animal from again 

 "sounding," and after throwing up heavy volumes of thick blood, in its spoutings, 

 it rolled over, "fin out," with but slight struggling. 



The Arctic Bowhead is comparatively free from parasitic crustaceans, as well as 

 barnacles. Occasionally, however, a species of Cyamus-\ is present about the head 

 or fins. The range of this animal extends east and west from Nova Zembla to 

 the coast of Eastern Siberia. Its northern limits remain undefined ; and it is sel- 



f We quote the following from Ball's paper yellow. Length 33 inches ; breadth ( of body ) 

 on the Cyamus mysiiceti. See illustration, plate 16 inches. Two female specimens. 



« o Habitat, on the northern Bowhead "Whale, 



X, fig. 2 : ' . ' 



probably Balcena mysiicetus, Lmn., near Behring 



Cyamus mysticeti, n. sp. Body flattened, and Strait. 



subovate, segments adjacent. Branchite single. This is the most compact of the three spe- 



short, stout, pedunculated, a single papilliform cies, as well as the smallest. I find, in compar- 



appendage behind each. Head short and wide. ing large series of C. Scammoni, that a consid- 



First pair of legs very small. Hands all simple erable variation in form obtains so far as re- 



and smooth, fingers greatly recurved. Carpal ar- gards comparative length and breadth, even in 



ticulation in the second pair of hands, half way adult specimens, and these differences are great- 



between the proximal and distal ends of the er than those observed, in the same characters, 



hand. Pleon very minute. Color dark brownish between the sexes. 



MaBINE M.VMJIALS. — 8. 



