8 
HISTORY OF THE WHALE. 
times seen. A very unusual and grand appearance 
of a herd of these whales is thus described by an 
eye-witness : — 
“ The ship was becalmed in the Pacific. The man 
at the mast head announced as usual, ‘ There she 
blows!’ The boats were manned and lowered as 
usual. But the whales, instead of rolling heavily 
along, seemed to approach with great rapidity. They 
appeared to be in an agitation, that could be caused 
only by agony or fright. They would dart rapidly. 
Again they would cut in spiral paths, or leap abruptly 
from their element. Some dashed over the surface, 
and many of the dark masses, moving like shadows 
of black clouds, exhibited the same agitation below. 
All this time, every spiracle gave violent and repeated 
explosions. We need not say, that the sailors looked 
on with the silence of death. The herd soon passed 
beyond the reach of sight, leaving the most experi- 
enced to wonder for the unseen and unknown cause 
of the consternation.” 
The ships, employed in the whale fishery, are gen- 
erally from three hundred to three hundred and fifty 
tons burden. The Greenland 'Strips are biiiljfwith all 
the strength and durability with which wood and iron 
can be combined, to enable them to withstand the 
rude concussions of the ice. The ships, according 
to the necessities of their particular voyage, are man- 
ned with from thirty to forty men. The boats are 
long and narrow, and sharp at each extremity, and 
are built of the lightest materials for buoyancy and 
speed. They float upon the surface with the grace 
