ANTARCTIC CRUISE. 297 



extraordinary way, lashing the smooth sea into a perfect foam, and 

 endeavouring apparently to extricate himself from some annoyance. 

 As he approached the ship, the struggle continuing and becoming 

 more violent, it was perceived that a fish, apparently about twenty 

 feet long, held him by the jaw, his contortions, spouting, and throes all 

 betokening the agony of the huge monster. The whale now threw 

 himself at full length from the water with open mouth, his pursuer still 

 hanging to the jaw, the blood issuing from the wound and dyeing the 

 sea to a distance around ; but all his flounderings were of no avail ; 

 his pertinacious enemy still maintained his hold, and was evidently 

 getting the advantage of him. Much alarm seemed to be felt by the 

 many other whales around. These " killers," as they are called, are 

 of a brownish colour on the back, and white on the belly, with a long 

 dorsal fin. Such was the turbulence with which they passed, that a 

 good view could not be had of them to make out more nearly the 

 description. These fish attack a whale in the same way as dogs bait 

 a bull, and worry him to death. They are armed with strong sharp 

 teeth, and generally seize the whale by the lower jaw. It is said that 

 the only part of them they eat is the tongue. The whalers give some 

 marvellous accounts of these killers and of their immense strength ; 

 among them, that they have been known to drag a whale away from 

 several boats which were towing it to the ship. 



There was a great quantity of animalcula in the water, and some 

 large squids (Medusas) and quantities of shrimp were frequently seen 

 about the icebergs ; these are no doubt the attractions which bring 

 whales to frequent these seas. 



The last two days we had very many beautiful snow-white petrels 

 about. The character, of the ice had now become entirely changed. 

 The tabular-formed icebergs prevailed, and there was comparatively 

 little field-ice. Some of the bergs were of magnificent dimensions, 

 one-third of a mile in length, and from one hundred and fifty to two 

 hundred feet in height, with sides perfectly smooth, as though they had 

 been chiselled. Others, again, exhibited lofty arches of many-coloured 

 tints, leading into deep caverns, open to the swell of the sea, which 

 rushing in, produced loud and distant thunderings. The flight of birds 

 passing in and out of these caverns, recalled the recollection of ruined 

 abbeys, castles, and caves, while here and there a bold projecting 

 bluff, crowned with pinnacles and turrets, resembled some Gothic 

 keep. A little farther onwards would be seen a vast fissure, as if some 

 powerful force had rent in twain these mighty masses. Every noise 

 on board, even our own voices, reverberated from the massive and 

 pure white walls. These tabular bergs are like masses of beautiful 



vol. ii. 38 



