120 THE KING'S MIRROR 



in proportion to their size very much as dpgs have. 

 They are also ravenous for other whales just as dogs 

 are for other beasts. They gather in flocks and attack 

 large whales, and, when a large one is caught alone, 

 they worry and bite it till it succumbs. It is likely, how- 

 ever, that this one, while defending itself with mighty 

 blows, kills a large number of them before it perishes. 



There are two other varieties, the beaked whale and 

 the "hog whale, " the largest of which are not more than 

 twenty-five ells in length. These are not fit to be eaten, 

 for the fat that is drawn from them cannot be digested 

 either by man or by any beast that may partake of it. 

 For it runs through them and even through wood; and 

 after it has stood a while, scarcely any vessel can con- 

 tain it, even if made of horn. There are certain other 

 types which are worth a passing mention only, namely 

 the " raven whale " and the white whale.* The white 

 whales are so named because of their show white color, 

 while most other varieties are black, except that some 

 of them have spots, such as the " shield whale," the 

 " spear whale," and the baleen whale. All these kinds 

 that I have just mentioned may be freely eaten and 

 many other kinds too. 



There is another sort of whales called the " fish 

 driver," f which is perhaps the most useful of all to 



* Probably the beluga, also called white whale. The other varieties named in 

 this paragraph, excepting the beaked whale and the baleen whale seem not 

 to have been identified with any known types of whales. It has been sug- 

 gested that some of them may have been sharks. See Nansen, In Northern 

 Mists, II, 243. 



t The editor of the Sor5 edition identifies this with the nor-caper (Balcena gla- 

 cialis), though he thinks it possible that the fin-fish (Bcdcenoptera laticeps) may 

 be meant (p. 125). 



