90 MARINE 3IAMMALS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN COAST. 



diminutive, enemies. Frequently the terrified animal — comparatively of enormous 

 size and superior strength — evinces no effort to escape, but lies in a helpless con- 

 dition, or makes but little resistance to the assaults of its merciless destroyers. 

 The attack of these wolves of the ocean upon their gigantic prey may be likened, 

 in some respects, to a pack of hounds holding the stricken deer at bay. They 

 cluster about the animal's head, some of their number breaching over it, while 

 others seize it by the lips and haul the bleeding monster under water ; and when 

 captured, should the mouth be open, they eat out its tongue. We saw an attack 

 made by three Killers upon a cow whale and her calf, in a lagoon on the coast of 

 Lower California, in the spring of 1858. The whale was of the California Gray 

 species, and her young was grown to three times the bulk of the largest Killers 

 engaged in the contest, which lasted for an hour or more. They made alternate 

 assaults upon the old whale and her offspring, finally killing the latter, which sunk 

 to the bottom, where the water was five fathoms deep. During the struggle, the 

 mother became nearly exhausted, having received several deep wounds about the 

 throat and lips. As soon as their prize had settled to the bottom, the three Orcas 

 descended, bringing up large pieces of flesh in their mouths, which they devoured 

 after coming to the surface. While gorging themselves in this wise, the old whale 

 made her escape, leaving a track of gory water behind. Instances have been known, 

 on the North-western Coast, where a band of Orcas laid siege to whales that had 

 been killed by whalemen, and which were being towed to the ship, in so deter- 

 mined a manner, that, although they were frequently lanced and cut with boat- 

 spades, they took the dead animals from their human captors, and hauled them 

 under water, out of sight. The Orca, however, does not always live on such 

 gigantic food ; and we incline to the belief that it is but rarely these carnivora of 

 the sea attack the larger Cetaceans, but chiefly prey with great rapacity upon their 

 young. The Orca finds its principal food in the smaller species of its own genus, 

 together with seals and the larger fishes, as before mentioned. For several seasons 

 we had watched them about the seal islands of California, and came to the con- 

 clusion that they subsisted on the fish found around the edge of the kelp which 

 fringes the shores. By chance, however, we were so fortunate as to take one at 

 the island of Asuncion, and, on examining its stomach, found it filled with young 

 seals. At the time it was the height of the sealing season, and the beaches around 

 the island were lined with innumerable herds ; and, although there were sealing 

 parties about the rocks from early dawn until dusk of evening, no one ever saw 

 these savage animnls molest the seals that were continually swimming about in very 

 large numbers. Subsequently, we had an excellent opportunity to observe them at 



