ORDER OE CETACEA. 
37 
water, and announces its arrival. First one sees a black point 
emerge : this is the end of its mnzzle. Very soon tbe blow-boles 
appear, then a part, more or less long, of the surface of its back, 
till the tail in its turn appears. 
At the same time that the blow-holes arrive at the surface of 
the water, a double column of white vapour, more or less thick, 
rises in the form of a Y to many metres in height. 
After this blowing, the vents or blow-holes are again emerged ; 
and during thirty or forty seconds the animal glides along level 
with the water, in such a manner that the spectator can perceive 
through the water which covers it the bluish tint of its body. A 
minute afterwards, the black point reappears, then the blow-holes, 
and then the blowing or spouting. 
This alternation of respiration and of progression at the surface 
of the water goes on for eight or ten minutes. During this time 
there have been seven or eight jets of liquid. The first is denser 
than the following ones ; the last, which is as dense, and which 
lasts as long as the first, announces that the Whale is going to dive 
again. It does, in fact, rise a little higher out of the water 
this time than at the preceding blowings, and at last has only its 
tail out of water : it balances this many times backwards and for- 
wards, and then descends into the depths of the sea : these are 
what are called les sondes — the soundings or diggings of the Whale. 
It remains below for thirty or forty minutes, and sometimes for 
more : it then returns to the surface and reproduces its irregular 
and periodical spoutings. 
It is thus, says M. Thiercelin, that Whales pass their lives ; 
sometimes on the surface of the water, sometimes below, day and 
night, in fair weather or in foul weather, at all seasons. For this 
reason, some people have said that it never sleeps. If the Whale 
sleeps — which it is certain that it does — these alternate movements 
are made during its sleep, necessitated by the wants of respiration, 
and must therefore be automatic, like the respiratory movements. 
When the Whale breathes, the noise of its breathing can be 
heard at some hundreds of metres only, if it is in a calm state. 
But when it is agitated by fear or by anger, the noise of its 
breathing may be heard at a distance of some kilometres. Dr. 
Thiercelin compares it to the noise of a strong column of air 
driven by a very large pair of smiths’ bellows into a great tube 
