126 
WHALE. 
its wounds ; while its faithful associate, disdaining 
to survive the loss, with great bellowing, stretched 
itself upon the dead fish, and shared his fate. 
After the female whale has gone with young nine 
or ten months, she produces her cub, which is of a 
black colour, and about ten feet long. She is said 
to grow fat towards the end of her pregnancy, and 
occasionally to bring forth two at a time, but never 
more. She suckles her offspring at her breast, for 
which purpose she inclines on one side while the 
young one fastens to the teat. The breasts are 
filled with a large quantity of milk, like those of 
land animals. She shows the greatest tenderness 
and affection for her young, and carries it with her 
at all times ; supporting it between her fins when 
closely pursued, and plunging with it to the bot- 
tom in order to avoid the danger. Even when 
wounded she continues her attachment, and clasps 
her young one till she is no longer able to sup- 
port it. During the time the young continue at 
the breast, which is about a twelvemonth, the sail- 
ors call them short-heads. When two years old 
they are termed stunts ; and from that time forward 
skull-Jish. The short-heads are extremely fat, and 
will sometimes yield above fifty barrels of blubber ; 
but after they become stunts their fat diminishes, 
and they scarcely yield twenty-four barrels. 
When the Greenlanders proceed to catch a whale 
they are careful to dress themselves in their best ap- 
parel, from a ridiculous notion that the whale de- 
tests a slovenly person, and would immediately 
