WHALE .TRIBE'; 
:m6 
ed;to its ability to do mischief. Among land an!**’ 
mats, we have had occasion to- observe, that 
, sovereignty does not always follow strength or 
size': the elephant, and camel fly before/, the tygdr 
and the lion ; while the eagle possesses a .decided 
superiority over the vulture and the ostrich. The 
same law obtains among* the inhabitants of the 
ocean ; where the whale., if he holds the sceptre, 
holds it by a precarious tenure, for it may easily 
be wrested from him by his subjects. There is a 
strong analogy between his manners and those of 
the elephant : both are the strongest and largest 
animals in their respective elements ; neither offers 
injury ; and each is terrible when provoked to 
resentment. 
The common whale, whatever honours vulgar 
prejudices may have conferred upon it, has no pre- 
tensions to the sovereignty of the ocean : on the 
contrary, as it is a peaceable and inoffensive animal, 
it has many enemies disposed to take advantage of 
its disposition, and inaptitude for combat. There 
is a small animal of the testaceous kind, called the 
whale-louse, that sticks to its body, as we see shells 
stick to the foul bottom of a ship. This creature 
insinuates itself chiefly under the fins ; and, in 
defiance of all the efforts of the whale, it still 
keeps its hold, and lives upon the fat, which it is 
provided with instruments to extract. The fisher- 
men, however, often witness the encounters of 
the whale with a much more terrible enemy. At 
the sight of the sword-fish, this largest of animals 
is seen agitated in an extraordinary manner, and 
leaping from the water as if with fear. Wherever 
it appears,- the whale perceives it at a distance, 
and flies from it in the opposite direction. The 
whale Jxas no instrument of defence except the tail : 
with that it endeavours i© strike the enemy ; and 
a single blow taking place* would effectually de- 
