EDITORIAL GLEANINGS. 43 
where a Whale, attracted by the sight of a ship, had proceeded to examine 
her, misjudged his distance, and came into collision with disastrous effect 
to both. But there are many instances where the Whale has deliberately 
charged a ship, either out of pure ‘ devilment,’ or when maddened with the 
agony of a wound inflicted by a harpoon. Some years ago a small school 
or ‘ pod’ of Sperm Whales was sightea off Stroug’s Island, in the Caroline 
Archipelago, by a New Bedford barque and a Hawaiian brig. Both ships 
lowered their boats at once, and in a very short time Captain Wicks, of the 
Hawaiian brig, got fast to a large bull who was cruising by himself about 
half a mile away from the rest of the ‘pod.’ As is not uncommon among 
Sperm and Hump-backed Whales, the rest of the school, almost the instant 
their companion was struck, showed their consciousness of what had occurred, 
and at once crowded closely together in the greatest alarm, ‘ lying motion- 
less on the surface of the water as if listening, and sweeping their huge 
flukes slowly to and fro as a cat sweeps its tail when watching an expected 
spring from one of its own kind. So terrified were they with the know- 
ledge that some unknown and invisible danger beset them, that they per- 
mitted the loose boats—five in number—to pull right on top of them.’ 
Four of the boats at once got fast without difficulty, leaving three or four 
of the Whales huddled together in the greatest fear and agitation.” 
One of the largest bull Whales which had been wounded, after de- 
stroying one of the boats, suddenly appeared twenty minutes later close 
to the Hawaiian brig. He was holding his head high up out of the water, 
and swimming at a furious speed straight towards the ship, which he 
struck a ‘‘slanting blow just for’ard of the forechains.” Hveryone on board | 
was thrown down by the force of the concussion, and the ship began to 
make water fast. Scarcely had the crew manned the pumps when a cry was 
raised, ‘“‘ He’s coming back.” Looking over the side, the Whale was seen 
some thirty feet below the surface, swimming round and round the ship 
with incredible speed, and evidently not injured by his impact. In a few 
moments he rose to the surface about a cable length away, and then, for the 
second time, came at the ship, swimming well up out of the water, and 
apparently meaning to strike her fairly amidships. This time, however, he 
failed, for a bomb was fired into him tee another boat which occasioned 
almost immediate death. 
In last year’s ‘ Zoologist’ (p. 287) we drew attention to the projected 
expedition of Lieut.-Col. H. W. Fielden and Mr. H. J. Pearson to the 
Petchora River and the coasts of Siberia. The expedition has been success- 
fully accomplished, and the naturalists have returned. ‘The zoological results 
have been communicated in abstract to a meeting of the Royal Geographical 
Society. Col. Fielden and Mr. Pearson started in the ‘ Laura’ from Skaars 
