128 
two young ones at a time, # yet I never 
saw more than one along with such as 
we killed. Fabrieius says, that for the 
most part, they bring forth but one. f 
The female is frequently taken when en¬ 
deavouring to save her young one, which 
is generally killed first by way of strata¬ 
gem. She then strives to take it away 
under her fins; but in the midst of these 
efforts, being overtaken by the boats, 
she falls a victim to her maternal affec¬ 
tion. 
The whalebone was formerly an article 
of great value in commerce, and at one 
time sold for L. 600 per ton. It is not 
now, however, wmrth a twentieth part of 
that sum, and is not an object of any at¬ 
tention to the whale fishers. We may 
remark, that by an old feudal law r , the 
tail of all whales belonged to the Queen,£ 
* Br. Zool. Edit. 1769, vol. iii. p. 37. 
f Faun. GroenL loc. cit. 
| Blackstone, vol. i. p. 223. Edit 1783 
