THE SULPHVRBOTTOM WHALE. 



71 



A Sulphurbottom whale is found in the Atlantic as well as in the Pacific. 

 The Pacific species occurs at all seasons on the coasts of the Californias. During 

 the months from May to September, inclusive, they are often found in largo num- 

 bers close in with the shore, at times playing about ships at anchor in the open 

 roadsteads, near islands, or capes, but as a general rule they do not approach ves- 

 sels with the same boldness that the Finback does, although we have observed 

 them following in a vessel's wake for several leagues.* 



* Through the kindness of Doctor J. D. B. 

 Stillman, of San Francisco, Cal., we give the 

 following extracts from his joiu-nal of a voyage 

 between that port and Eealejo, Central America, 

 in 1850, in relation to a Sulphurbottom which 

 followed the ship Plymouth, in which the Doctor 

 sailed, for twenty-four consecutive days. The 

 account is as follows: " November I'iih : We are 

 ■witnesses of a very remarkable exhibition of the 

 social disposition of the whale. A week ago to- 

 day, we passed several, and during the after- 

 noon it was discovered that one of them contin- 

 ued to follow us, and was becoming more famil- 

 iar, keeping under the ship and only coming 

 out to breathe. A great deal of uneasiness was 

 felt, lest in his careless gambols he might un- 

 ship our rudder, or do us some other damage. 

 It was said that bilge -water would drive him 

 off, and the pumps were started, but to no pur- 

 pose. At length more violent means were re- 

 sorted to; volley after volley of rifle-shots were 

 fired into him, billets of wood, bottles, etc., 

 were thrown upon his head with such force as 

 to separate the integument ; to all of which he 

 paid not the slightest attention, and he still 

 continued to swim under us, keeping our exact 

 rate of speed, whether in calm or storm, and 

 rising to blow almost into the cabin windows. 

 He seems determined to stay with us until he 

 can find better company. His length is about 

 eighty feet ; his tail measures about twelve feet 

 across ; and in the calm, as we look down into 

 the transparent water, we see him in all his 

 huge proportions. November 2dth: The bark 

 Kxrkwood hove in sight, and bore down to speak 



us. When off a mile or two to leeward, our 

 whale left us and went to her, but returned 

 soon after. He showed great restlessness last 

 night; and to-day, whenever we stood off on 

 the outward tack, he kept close below us, and 

 rose just under our quarter, and most commonly 

 to windward, to blow. But whenever we stood 

 toward the land he invariably hung back and 

 showed discontent. This afternoon he left us. 

 It is now twenty -four days since he attached 

 himself to us, and during that time he has fol- 

 lowed us as faithfully as a dog an emigrant's 

 wagon. At first we abused him in eveiy way 

 that our ingenuity could devise to drive him off, 

 lest he might do us some mischief ; but, save 

 some scratches he received from our ship's cop- 

 pering, and numerous sloughing sores, caused 

 by the balls that had been fired into him, no 

 damage was received by either of us from his 

 close companionship, though our white paint 

 was badly stained by the impurity of his breath. 

 We long since ceased our efforts to annoy him, 

 and had become attached to him as to a dog. 

 We had named him ' Blowhard,' and even fan- 

 cied, as we called him, that he came closer 

 under ovu- quarter, when I felt like patting his 

 glabrous sides, and saying : ' Good old fellow. ' 

 As the water grew shoal«r he left us, with re- 

 gret unfeigned on our part, and apparently so 

 on his. This story of the whale is so remark- 

 able, that were there not so many witnesses, I 

 would not venture to tell it, lest I be accused 

 of exaggeration. There were a number of ex- 

 perienced whalemen among our passengers, who 

 said the animal was a 'Sulphurbottom.'" 



