ORDER OE CETACEA. 
57 
sion that a mixture composed of a yer y soluble salt of strychnin© 
and a twentieth part of curare is sufficient to put to death one of 
these animals, when it is administered in doses of half a milli- 
gramme for every kilogramme of the animal’s weight. He then 
made cartouches, thirty grains in weight, containing this poisonous 
mixture. One of these cartouches alone is enough to kill a Whale 
of 60,000 kill ©grammes in weight ; two would he more than 
sufficient for the largest Whales of the North Pole, the weight of 
which perhaps exceeds 100,000 kilogrammes. 5 
Hr. Thiercelin then enclosed each cartouche in the projectile, 
called a ball-harpoon, better known in America under the name of 
bomb-lance, and which we have just described. This projectile, 
tired into the sides of the animal, bursts and projects the poisonous 
mixture into it. 
In his first journey to Newfoundland Hr. Thiercelin caused his 
poisonous bombs to be fired at ten Whales of different sizes. The 
result was very satisfactory. The ten Whales died in a space of 
time varying from four to eighteen minutes. Six of these 
furnished them with their oil and whalebone. Their flesh was 
not in the least impregnated with the poisonous matter, for their 
carcasses were handled by men who had excoriations, and even 
recent wounds, on their hands, without a single one having 
suffered the least harm. Four of thes© Cetacea, as they belonged 
to species of which the whalers do not generally take notice, were 
lost from circumstances independent of the new method. 
The results of this campaign set at rest all doubts as to the future 
in store for Hr. Thiercelin’s idea. Henceforth there will be no 
more fear, when a Whale is attacked, of seeing it escape, pierced 
all over with many blows. Every Whale hit will be, as it were, 
already killed. Its capture will be almost certain. There is, 
then, the germ of a revolution in whaling. 
This system of attack has the advantage of paralyzing in a few 
instants the movements of the animal. Six or eight minutes after 
the wound has been inflicted, the fisher can approach the Whale 
and strike it with his lance to make it bleed, rendering it thus 
lighter, and preventing it from sinking to the bottom. 
We have not the least doubt of the terrible efficacy of Hr. 
Thiercelin’s system. We even assert that we now fear, that, at 
some not very distant period, the very extraordinary and innocent 
