78 3IARINE 3IAMMALS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN COAST. 



these monsters have been found in herds by themselves ; but the usual assemblage 

 is made up of males and females — the latter with their young. At such times two 

 or three large bulls are in attendance, which lead the van. The female is quite 

 solicitous for her playful offspring, and wdicn pursued, the mother may be seen 

 assisting it to escape by partially supporting it on one of her pectorals. The 

 females likewdse manifest much sympathy for each other, for when one of their 

 number is attacked by the boats, they all "bring to," and remain, usually for some 

 time, with their dying companion ; by this means a number of whales are often 

 captured from the same school. The young bulls periodically go in large herds ; 

 but, unlike the females, if one of their band is harpooned, its cowardly associates 

 make off in great trepidation. When individually attacked, however, it makes a 

 desperate struggle for life, and often escapes after a hard contest. Nevertheless, it 

 is not an unusual occurrence for the oldest males to be taken with but little effort 

 on the part of the whaler. x\fter being struck, the animal will oftentimes lie for a 

 few moments on the water as if paralyzed, which affords the active man of the 

 lance opportunity to dart his weapon effectually, raid complete the capture. It 

 is said that the Cachalots are endowed with the faculty of communicating with each 

 other in times of danger, when miles (and some observers say leagues) distant. 

 If this be true, the mode of communication rests instinctively within their own 

 contracted brains. 



It lias been the general belief that the Sperm Whale is excessively timid ; but, 

 if this is its general character, there are many exceptions among the larger males, 

 for wdien attacked, they have in repeated instances turned upon their pursuers, in 

 the most defiant manner, and their own disfigured jaws — which are their principal 

 weapons of defense — prove that they either engage in desperate contentions with 

 their kind, or with some unknown leviathan inhabiting the deep. Moreovei, it is. 

 w^e believe, a well-established fact, that ships have been sunk by the deliberate 

 assaults of vicious, gray -headed, old Cachalots.* 



* The accounts of the destruction of the Ameri- creature gave the vessel such a shock, as he came 



can ships Essex and Ann Alexander having been in collision, as to spring a serious leak. Then 



Xoubliished in various works pertaining to the he went down and re -appeared a ship's length 



whale-fishery, we will only briefly note them or two off, lashing the water into foam. After 



here. Tlie Essex was destroyed in the South going a distance of about one-foui-th of a mile, 



Pacific by an infuriated whale, in the year 1820, and recovering from the concussion, he returned 



under the following circumstances. The animal with great velocity, and, striking the ship's bow, 



was seen ahead approaching the ship at the rate staved it in, which caused the vessel to sink ton 



of about three miles an hour, and the ship run- minutes after. The Ann Alexander was sunk by 



ning at about the same speed, when the huge a Sperm Whale on the coast of Peru, in 1851, 



