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AMERICAN 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY. 
 
 VOLUME III. 
 
 PART I.— MASTOLOGY. 
 
 BY JOHN D. GODMAN, M.D. 
 
 PROFESSOR OF NATURAE HTSTOET IN THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE OF PENN- 
 SXLVANIA; ONE OP THE PROFESSORS OF THE PHILADELPHIA MTTSEUK; 
 MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY; OF THE PHILADEL- 
 PHIA ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES, &C. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 ^ CAREY, LEA & CAREY-CHESTNUT STREET. 
 
 1828 , 
 
Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to vnt; 
 
 BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the first day of February, in the 
 fifty-second year of the Independence of the United States of America, 
 A. D. 1828, P. H. Nicklin, of the said district, hath deposited in this 
 office the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as proprietor, in 
 the words following, to wit: 
 
 “ American Natural History. Vol. HI. Part I. Mastology. By John 
 D. Godman, M. D. Professor of Natural History in the Franklin Insti- 
 tute of Pennsylvania; one of the Professors of the Philadelphia Mu- 
 seum; Member of the American Philosophical Society; of the Phila- 
 delphia Academy of Natural Sciences, &c. 
 
 In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States enti- 
 tled, “ An act for the Encouragement of Learning, by securing the 
 copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of 
 such copies, during the times therein mentioned.” — And also to the 
 act, entitled, “ An act supplementary to an act, entitled, “ An act for 
 the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, 
 and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies during the 
 times therein, mentioned,” and extending the benefits thereof to the 
 arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints.” 
 
 D. CALDWELL, 
 
 Ckrk of the EasteM District of Pennsylvania. 
 
AMERICAN 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY. 
 
 The head is large, having a straight outline; 
 large ears and eyes; a large muzzle and long 
 smooth tongue. 'Uhe subocular sinuses do not ex- 
 ist. The body is of large size, supported upon 
 strong legs. A fold of skin depends below the neck, 
 called the dewlap. The tail is frequently long and 
 terminates in a brush; in some species it is of a mid- 
 dling length. The horns are conical, smooth and 
 simple, variously curved, though often turned late- 
 rally with the points upwards. 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 Genus Ox; Bos; L. 
 
 Fr. Boeuf. Germ. Ochs. 
 Sp. Buly. Hal. Bove. 
 
 GENERIC CHARACTERS. 
 
 Dental System. 
 
 12 Upper ^ 12 Molar 
 
4 
 
 THE BISON. 
 
 Species L — The Bison. 
 
 Bos Americanus Gmel. 
 
 Taurus Mexicanus; HEMfAinj. Mex. 58f. Tauri Vaccsqiie, Ibid. 
 
 Anirn. p. 10. 
 
 The Buffalo: Catesbt, Carol. 28 tab. 20. 
 
 Boeuf Sauvage: Duphatz, Louisiane, ii. 66. 
 
 Jlmerican Bull: Penk. Quad. pi. ii, fig. 2. 
 
 \_Commonly called Buffalue.^ 
 
 From other species of the ox kind, the Bison is 
 well distinguished by the following peculiarities. 
 A long shaggy hair clothes the fore part of the body, 
 forming a well marked beard beneath the lower jaw, 
 and descending behind the knee in a tuft. This hair 
 rises on the top of the head in a dense mass, nearly 
 as high as the extremities of the horns. Over the 
 forehead it is closely curled, and matted so thickly 
 as to deaden the force of a rifle ball, which either 
 rebounds, or lodges in the hair, merely causing the 
 animal to shake his head as he heavily bounds 
 along. 
 
 The head of the bison is large and ponderous, 
 compared with the size of the body; so that the mus- 
 cles for its support, necessarily of great size, give 
 great thickness to the neck, and by their origin from 
 the prolonged dorsal vertebral processes form the 
 peculiar projection called the hump. This hump 
 is of an oblong form diminishing in height as it re- 
 cedes, so as to give considerable obliquity to the 
 line of the back. 
 
EKca rn\.. Sc . 
 

THE BISON. 
 
 5 
 
 The eye of the bison is small, black, and bril- 
 liant; the horns are black and very thick near the 
 head, whence they curve upwards and outwards, 
 rapidly tapering towards their points. The outline 
 of the face is somewhat convexly curved, and the 
 upper lip, on each side being papillous within, di- 
 lates and extends downwards, giving a very oblique 
 appearance to the lateral gape of the mouth, in this 
 particular resembling the ancient architectural bas- 
 reliefs representing the heads of oxen. 
 
 The physiognomy of the bison is menacing and 
 ferocious, and no one can see this formidable ani- 
 mal in his native wilds, for the first time, without 
 feeling inclined to attend immediately to his person- 
 al safety. The sunimer coat of the bison differs 
 from his winter dress, rather by difference of length 
 than by other particulars. In summer, from the 
 shoulders backwards, the hinder parts of the ani- 
 mal are all covered with a very short fine hair, tlial 
 is as smooth and as soft to the touch as velvet. 
 The tail is quite short and tufted at the end, and 
 its utility as a fly-brush is necessarily very limited. 
 The colour of the hair is uniformly dun, but the 
 long hair on the anterior parts of the body is to a 
 certain extent tinged with yellowish or rust colour. 
 These animals, however, present so little variety in 
 regard to colour, tiiat the natives consider any re- 
 markable difference from the common appearance 
 as resulting from the immediate interference of the 
 Great Spirit. 
 
G 
 
 THE BISON. 
 
 Some varieties of colour have been observed, 
 although the instances are rare. A Missouri trader 
 informed the members of Long’s exploring party, 
 that he had seen a greyish white bison, and a year- 
 ling calf, that was distinguished by several white 
 spots on the side, a star or blaze in the forehead, 
 and white fore feet. Mr. J. Doughty, an inter- 
 preter to the expedition, saw in an Indian hut a 
 very well prepared bison head with a star on the 
 front. This was highly prized by the proprietor, 
 who called it his great medicine, for, said he “ the 
 herds come every season to the vicinity to seek their 
 white faced companion.” 
 
 In appearance the bison cow bears the same re- 
 lation to the bull, that is borne by the domestic cow 
 to her mate. Her size is much smaller, and she 
 has much less hair on the fore part of her body. 
 The horns of the cow are much less than those of 
 the bull, nor are they so much concealed by the 
 hair. The cow is by no means destitute of beard, 
 but though she possesses this conspicuous appen- 
 dage, it is quite short wdien compared wdth that of 
 her companion. 
 
 From July to the latter part of December the bi- 
 son cow continues fat. Their breeding season be- 
 gins towards the latter part of July and continues 
 until the beginning of September, and after this 
 month the cows separate from the bulls in distinct 
 herds and bring forth their calves in April. The 
 calves rarely separate from the mother before they 
 
THE BISON. 7 
 
 are one year old, and cows are frequently seen ac- 
 companied by calves of three seasons. 
 
 The flesh of the bison is somewhat coarser in its 
 fibre than that of the domestic ox, yet travellers are 
 unanimous in considering it equally savoury as an 
 article of food, we must, however, receive the opin- 
 ions of travellers ou this subject, with some allow- 
 ance for their peculiar situations, being frequently 
 at a distance from all other food and having their 
 relish improved by the best of all possible recom- 
 mendations in favour of the present viands — hunger. 
 It is with reason, however, that the flesh is stated to 
 be more agreeably sapid, as the grass upon which 
 these animals feed is short, firm and nutritious, be- 
 ing very different from the luxuriant and less sa- 
 line grass produced on a more fertile soil. The fat 
 of the bison is said to be far sweeter and richer, and 
 generally preferable to that of the common ox. The 
 observations made in relation to the bison’s flesh, 
 when compared with the flesh of the domestic oxj 
 may be extended to almost all wild meat, which 
 has a peculiar flavour and raciness that renders it 
 decidedly more agreeable than that of tame animals, 
 although the texture of the flesh may be much 
 coarser and the fibre by no means as delicate. 
 
 Of all the parts of the bison that are eaten, the 
 hump is the most famed for its peculiar richness and 
 delicacy; because when cooked it is said very much 
 to resemble marrow. The Indian mode of cooking 
 the hump is to cut it out from the vertebrae, after 
 
THE BISON. 
 
 S : 
 
 which the spines of bone are taken out, the denuded 
 portion is then covered with skin, wliich is finally 
 sewed to tlie skin covering the hump. The hair is 
 then singed and pulled oiBf, and the whole mass is 
 put in a hole dug in the earth for its reception, which 
 has been previously heated by a strong fire in and 
 over it the evening previous to the day on which it 
 is to be eaten.. It is then covered with cinders and 
 earth about a foot deep, and a strong fire made over 
 it. By the next day at noon it is fit for use. The 
 tongues and marrow bones are also highly esteem- 
 ed by the hunters. To preserve the flesh for future 
 use the hunters and Indians cut it into thin slices 
 and dry it in the open air, which is called 
 this process is speedily finished, and a large stock 
 of meat may thus be kept for a considerable length 
 of time. 
 
 From the dried flesh of the bison the fur traders 
 of the north west prepare a food which is very valua- 
 f)le on account of the time it may be preserved with- 
 out spoiling, though it will not appear very alluring 
 to those who reside where provisions are obtained 
 without difficulty. The dried bison’s flesh is placed 
 on skins and pounded with stones until suflBcient- 
 ly pulverized. It is then separated as much as pos- 
 sible from impurities, and one third of its weight of 
 the melted tallow of the animal is poured over it. 
 This substance is called pemmican, and being pack- 
 ed firmly in bags of skin of a convenient size for 
 transportation, may be kept for one year without 
 
THE BISON. 9 
 
 much difficulty, and with great care, perhaps two 
 years. 
 
 During the months of August and September the 
 flesh of the bison bull is poor and disagreeably fla- 
 voured; they are however much more easily killed, 
 as they are not so vigilant as the cows, and some- 
 times allow the hunter to come up with them with- 
 out much difficulty. Lewis & Clarke relate that once 
 approaching a large herd, the bulls would scarcely 
 move out of their way and as they came near, the ani- 
 mals would merely look at them for a moment, as at 
 something new, and then quietly resume their graz- 
 ing. 
 
 The general appearance of the bison is by no 
 means attractive or prepossessing, his huge and 
 shapeless form, being altogether de void of grace and 
 beauty. His gait is awkward and cumbrous, al- 
 though his great strength enables him to run with 
 very considerable speed over plains in summer, or in 
 winter to plunge expeditiously through the snow. 
 
 The sense of smelling is remarkably acute in this 
 animal, and it is remarked by hunters that the odour 
 of the white man is far more terrifying to them than 
 that of the Indian. From the neighbourhood of 
 white settlements they speedily disappear: this, 
 however, is very justly accounted for by Mr. Say, 
 who attributes it to the impolitic and exterminating 
 warfare, which the white man wages against all un- 
 subdued animals within his reach. 
 
 As an exemplification of the peculiar strength of 
 VoL. 111. 2 
 
iO 
 
 THR RISON. 
 
 their sense of smelling, we may here relate a circum- 
 stance mentioned by Mr. Say, in that valuable and 
 highly interesting work. Long’s Expedition to the 
 Rocky Mountains, to which we are under continual 
 obligations. These we are the more happy to ac- 
 knowledge, because we are well acquainted with 
 the solicitude of the gentlemen composing that ex- 
 pedition, to diffuse, as widely as possible, the know- 
 ledge of American Natural History. 
 
 The exploring party were riding through a drea- 
 ry and uninteresting country, which at that time 
 was enlivened by vast numbers of bisons, who were 
 moving, in countless thousands, in every direction. 
 As the wind was blowing fresh from the south, the 
 scent of the party was wafted directly across the 
 river Platte, and through a distance of eight or ten 
 miles, every step of its progress was distinctly mark- 
 ed by the terror and consternation it produced among 
 the bisons. The instant their atmosphere was infected 
 by the tainted gale, they ran as violently as if closely 
 pursued by mounted hunters, and instead of fleeing 
 from the danger, they turned their heads towards the 
 wind, eager to escape this terrifying odour. They 
 dashed obliquely forward towards the party, and 
 plunging into the river, swam, waded, and ran with 
 headlong violence, in several instances breaking 
 through the Expedition’s line of march, which was 
 immediately along the left branch of the Platte. One 
 of the party, (Mr. Say himself,) perceiving from the 
 direction taken by the bull who led the extended 
 
THE BISON. 
 
 11 
 
 column, that he would emerge from tlie low river 
 bottom at a point where the precipitous bank was 
 deeply worn by much travelling, urged his horse 
 rapidly forward, that he might reach this station in 
 order to gain a nearer view of these interesting ani- 
 mals. He had but just reached the spot when the 
 formidable leader, bounding up the steep, gained the 
 summit of the bank with his fore-feet, and in this 
 position, suddenly halted from his full career, and 
 fiercely glared at the horse which stood full in his 
 path. The horse was panic-struck by this sudden 
 apparition, trembled violently from fear, and would 
 have wheeled and taken to flight, had not his rider 
 exerted his utmost strength to restrain him; he re- 
 coiled, however, a few feet and sunk down upon 
 his hams. The bison halted for a moment, but 
 urged forward by the irresistible pressure of the 
 moving column behind, he rushed onward by the 
 half-sitting horse. The herd then came swiftly on, 
 crowding up the narrow defile. The party had now 
 reached the spot, and extended along a considerable 
 distance; the bisons ran in a confused manner, in va- 
 rious directions, to gain the distant bluffs, and num- 
 bers were compelled to pass through the line of march. 
 This scene, added to the plunging and roaring of 
 those who were yet crossing the river, produced a 
 grand effect, that was heightened by the fire opened 
 on them by the liunters. 
 
 To the Indians and visiters of the western regions 
 the bison is almost invaluable; we have mentioned 
 
12 
 
 THE UISON. 
 
 that they supply a large part of the food used by 
 the natives, and covering to their tents and per- 
 sons, while in many parts of the country there is 
 no fuel to be obtained but the dried dung of this 
 animal. The Indians always associate ideas of 
 enjoyment with plenty of bison, and they fre- 
 quently constitute the skull of one of them, their 
 “ Great Medicine.’’ They have dances and cere- 
 monies that are observed previous to the com- 
 mencement of their hunting. 
 
 The herds of bison wander over the country in 
 search of food, usually led by a bull most remarka- 
 ble for strength and fierceness. While feeding, 
 they are often scattered over a great extent of coun- 
 try, but when they move in mass they form a dense 
 almost impenetrable column, which, once in mo- 
 tion, is scarcely to be impeded. Their line of march 
 is seldom interrupted even by considerable rivers, 
 across which they swim without fear or hesitation, 
 nearly in the order that tliey traverse the plains. 
 When flying before their pursuers, it would be in 
 vain for the foremost to halt, or attempt to obstruct 
 the progress of the main body, as the throng in the 
 rear still rushing onward, the leaders must ad- 
 vance, although destruction awaits the movement. 
 The Indians take advantage of this circumstance to 
 destroy great quantities of this favourite game, and, 
 certainly, no mode could be resorted to more effec- 
 tually destructive, nor could a more terrible devasta- 
 tion be produced, than that of forcing a numerous 
 
THE BISON. 
 
 13 
 
 herd of these large animals, to leap together from 
 the brink of a dreadful precipice, upon a rocky and 
 broken surface, a hundred feet below. 
 
 When the Indians determine to destroy bison in 
 this way, one of their swiftest footed and most active 
 young men is selected, who is disguised in a bison 
 skin, having the head, ears, and horns adjusted on 
 his own head, so as to make the deception very 
 complete, and thus accoutred, he stations himself 
 between the bison herd and some of the precipices, 
 that often extend for several miles along the rivers. 
 The Indians surround the herd as nearly as possi- 
 ble, when, at a given signal, they show themselves 
 and rush forward with loud yells. The animals 
 being alarmed, and seeing no way open but in the 
 direction of the disguised Indian, run towards him, 
 and he, taking to flight, dashes on to the precipice, 
 where he suddenly secures himself in some previous- 
 ly ascertained crevice. The foremost of the herd 
 arrives at the brink — there is no possibility of retreat, 
 no chance of escape; the foremost may for an instant 
 shrink with terror, but the crowd behind, who are 
 terrified by the approaching hunters, rush forward 
 with increasing impetuosity, and the aggregated 
 force hurls them succeswely into the gulf, where 
 certain death awaits them. 
 
 It is extremely fortunate that this sanguinary 
 and wasteful method of killing bisons is not very 
 frequently resorted to by the savages, or we might 
 expect these animals in a few years to become al- 
 
14 
 
 THE BISON. 
 
 most entirely extinct. The waste is not the only 
 unpleasant circumstance consequent on it; the air 
 for a long time after, is filled with the horrible 
 stench arising from the putrefying carcases not 
 consumed by the Indians after such an extensive 
 and indiscriminate slaughter. For a very consi- 
 derable time after such an event, the wolves and 
 vultures feast sumptuously and fatten to tameness 
 • on the disgusting remains, becoming so gentle and 
 fearless, as to allow themselves to be approached 
 by the human species, and even to be knocked down 
 with a stick, near places where such sacrifices of 
 bison have been made. Lewis & Clarke bestowed 
 the name of Slaughter River on one of the tributa- 
 ries of the Mississippi, in consequence of the preci- 
 pices along its sides, having been used by the In- 
 dians for this mode of killing the bison. 
 
 A better and more common way of killing bison 
 is that of attacking them on horseback. The In- 
 dians, mounted and well armed with bows and ar- 
 rows, encircle the herd and gradually drive them 
 into a situation favourable to the employment of 
 the horse. They then ride in and single out one, 
 generally a female, and following her as closely as 
 possible, wound her with arrows until the mortal 
 blow is given, when they go in pursuit of others 
 until their quivers are exhausted. Should a wound- 
 ed bison attack the hunter, he escapes by the agility 
 of his horse, which is usually well trained for the 
 purpose. In some parts of the country, the hunter 
 
THE BISON. 
 
 15 
 
 is exposed to a considerable danger of falling, in 
 consequence of the numerous holes made in the 
 plains by the badger. 
 
 When the hunting is ended and a sufficiency of 
 game killed, the squaws come up from the rear to 
 skin and dress the meat, a business in Avhich they 
 have acquired a great degree of dexterity, as they 
 can, with very inferior instruments, butcher a bison 
 with far more celerity and precision than the w'hite 
 hunters. 
 
 If a bison is found dead, without an arrow in the 
 body, or any particular mark attached, it becomes 
 the property of the finder, so that a hunter may ex- 
 pend his arrows to no purpose when they fall off, 
 after wounding or fairly perforating the animal. 
 That the Indians do frequently send their arrows 
 through the body of this animal is well attested 
 by a great number of witnesses. In Long’s ex- 
 pedition to the sources of St. Peters’ river, it is 
 related that Wahnita, a distinguished chief of the 
 Sioux, has been seen to drive his arrow through the 
 body of one bison, and sufficiently deep into the 
 body of a second to inflict a deadly W'ound. 
 
 When the ice is breaking up on the rivers in the 
 spring of the year, the dry grass of the surrounding 
 plains is set on fire, and the bison are tempted to 
 cross the river in search of the young grass that im- 
 mediately succeeds the burning of the old. lu the 
 attempt to cross, the bison is often insulated on a 
 large cake of ice that floats down tlie river. The 
 
16 
 
 THE mSON. 
 
 savages select the most favourable points for attack, 
 and as the bison approaches, the Indians leap with 
 wonderful agility over the frozen ice, to attack him, 
 and as the animal is necessarily unsteady, and his 
 footing very insecure on the ice, he soon receives 
 his death wound and is drawn triumphantly to the 
 shore. 
 
 The Cree Indians make a bison-pound, by fenc- 
 ing a circular space of about a hundred yards in 
 diameter. The entrance is banked up with snoAV 
 sufficiently high to prevent the animals from re- 
 treating after they have once entered. For about 
 a mile on each side of the road leading to the pound, 
 stakes are driven into the ground at nearly equal 
 distances of about twenty yards, which are intend- 
 ed to look like men, and to deter the animals from 
 endeavouring to break through the fence. Within 
 fifty or sixty yards of the pound, branches of trees 
 are placed between the stakes to screen the Indians 
 who lie down beiiind them, to wait for the approach 
 of the bison. The mounted hunters display the 
 greatest dexterity in this sort of chase, as they are 
 obliged to manoeuvre around the herd in the plains 
 so as to urge them into the road-way, which is 
 about a quarter of a mile broad. When this is ef- 
 fected, the Indians raise loud shouts, and pressing 
 closely on the animals, terrify them so much, that 
 they rush heedlessly forwards towards the snare. 
 When they have advanced as far as the men who 
 are lying in ambush, they also show themselves in- 
 
THE BISON. 
 
 17 
 
 creasing the consternation of the bison by shouting 
 violently and firing their guns. The affrighted 
 animals have no alternative but to iTish directly 
 into the pound, where they are quickly despatched 
 by guns or arrows. In the centre of one of these 
 pounds, there was a tree on which the Indians had 
 hung strips of bison flesh and pieces of cloth, as 
 tributary or grateful offerings to the Great Master 
 of life. They occasionally place a man in the tree 
 to sing to the presiding spirit as the bisons advance. 
 He is obliged to remain there until all the animals 
 that have entered the pound are killed.^ 
 
 The Omawhaw Indians hunt the bison in the fol- 
 lowing manner. The hunters who are in advance 
 of the main body on the march, employ telegraphic 
 signals from an elevated position, to convey a 
 knowledge of their discoveries to the people. If 
 they see bisons, they throw lip their robes in a pe- 
 culiar manner as a signal for a halt. The hunters 
 then- return as speedily as possible to camp, and are 
 received with some ceremony on their approaclu 
 The chiefs and magicians are seated in front of the 
 people, puffing smoke from their pipes, and tlia.nk- 
 ing the Master of life with such expressions as 
 thanks Master of life, thank you Master of life, 
 here is smoke, I am poor, hungry, and want to eat/’ 
 The hunters then draw, near the chiefs and magi - 
 cians, and in a low tone of voice inform them of 
 
 * See Franklin’s Exp. p. 1 12. 
 
 VoL. HI. 3 
 
18 
 
 THE BISON. 
 
 their discovery; when questioned as to the number, 
 they reply by holding up some small _ sticks in a 
 horizontal direction, and compare one herd at a 
 certain distance with this stick, and another with 
 that, &c. 
 
 An old man or crier then harangues the people, 
 informing them of the, company, exhorting the wo- 
 men to keep a good heart, telling them that they 
 have endured many hardships with fortitude, and 
 that their present difficulties are ended, as on the 
 morrow the men will go in pursuit of the bisons and 
 bring them certainly a plenty of meat. 
 
 Four or five resolute warriors are appointed at 
 the council of chiefs, held the evening previous, to 
 preserve order among the hunters on the following 
 day. It is their business, with a whip or club, to 
 punish those who misbehave, on the spot, or whose 
 movements tend to frighten the game before all are 
 ready, or previously to their arrival at the place 
 whence they are to sally forth. 
 
 The next morning all the men, not superannuated, 
 depart at an early hour, generally mounted and 
 armed with bows and arrows. The superintend- 
 ants or officers above mentioned accompany the 
 swiftly moving cavalcade, on foot, armed with war 
 clubs, the whole preceded by a footman bearing a 
 pipe. When they come in sight of the herd the 
 hunters talk kindly to their horses, using the en- 
 dearing names of father, brother, uncle, &c., beg- 
 ging them not to fear the bisons, but to run yvell 
 
THE BISON. 19 
 
 and keep close, taking care at the same time not to 
 be gored by them. 
 
 Having approached the herd as closely as they 
 suppose the animal will permit without alarm, they 
 halt, that the pipe bearer may perform the cere- 
 mony of smoking, which is thought necessary to 
 success. The pipe is lighted, and he remains a short 
 time with his head inclined, and the stem of the 
 pipe extended towards the herd. He then puffs the 
 smoke towards the bisons, the heavens, the earth, 
 and the cardinal points successively. These latter 
 are distinguished by the terms sun-rise, sun- set, 
 cold country, and w'arm country. 
 
 This ceremony ended, the chief gives the order 
 for starting. They immediately separate into two 
 bands, which wheeling to the right and left, make 
 a considerable circuit with a view to enclose the herd 
 at a considerable interval between them. They then 
 close upon the animals and every man endeavours 
 to signalize himself by the number he can kill. 
 
 It is now that the Indian exhibits all his skill in 
 horsemanship and archery, and when the horse is 
 going at full speed, the arrow is sent with a deadly 
 aim and great velocity into the body of the animal 
 behind the shoulder, where, should it not bury itself 
 to a suflBcient depth, he rides up and withdraw s it 
 from the side of the wounded and furious animal. 
 He judges by the direction and depth of the wound, 
 whether it be mortal, and when the deadly blow is 
 inflicted, he raises a triumphant shout to prevent 
 
ao 
 
 THE BISON. 
 
 others from engaging in the pursuit, and dashes off 
 to seek new objects for destruction, until his quiver 
 is exhausted or the game has fled too far. 
 
 Although there is au appearance of much confu- 
 sion in this engagement, and the saine animal re- 
 ceives many arrows from different archers before 
 he is mortally wounded or despatched, yet as every 
 man knows his own arrows, and can estimate the 
 consecj[uences of the wounds he has inflicted, few 
 quarrels ever occur as to the right of property in 
 the animal. A fleet horse well trained, runs paral- 
 lel with the bison at the proper distance, with the 
 reins thrown on Ids neck, turns as he turns, and does 
 not lessen Ids speed until the shoulder of the animal 
 is presented, and the mortal wound has been given; 
 then by inclining to one side the rider directs him 
 towards another bison. Such horses are preserved 
 exclusively for the chase and are very rarely sub- 
 jected to the labour of carrying burdens.^ 
 
 The effect of training, on the Indian horses, is 
 well shown in a circumstance related by Lewis and 
 Clarke. A serjeaut had been sent forward with a 
 number of horses, and while ©n his way, came up 
 with a herd of bisons. As soon as the loose horses 
 discovered the herd, they immediately set off in 
 pursuit, and surrounded the bisons with almost as 
 much skill as if they had been directed by riders. 
 At length the sergeant was obliged to send two men 
 
 * Say, Long’s Exp. to Rocky Mountdiiis, v. 2. 
 
THE BISON. 
 
 2i 
 
 forward to drive the bisons from the route before 
 they were able to proceed. 
 
 The skins of the bison furnish the Indians 
 and Whites with excellent robes, for bedding, 
 clothing, and various purposes. These are most 
 usually the skin of cows, as the hide of the bull is 
 too thick and heavy to be prepared in the way prac- 
 tised by the squaws, which is both difficult and te- 
 dious. This consists in working the hide, moisten- 
 ed with the brains of the animal, between the hands, 
 until it is made perfectly supple, or till the thick 
 texture of the skin is reduced to a porous and cel- 
 lular substance. These robes form an excellent pro- 
 tection from rain, when the woolly side is opposed 
 to it, and against the cold when the woolly surface 
 is worn next the skin. But when these robes are 
 wet, or for a considerable time exposed to moisture, 
 they are apt to spoil and become unpleasant, as the 
 Indian mode of dressing has no other effect than to 
 give a softness and a pliancy to the leather. On these 
 robes the Indians frequently make drawings of their 
 great battles and victories; a great variety of such 
 painted robes are to be seen in the Philadelphia 
 Museum. The hair of the bison has been used in 
 the manufacture of a coarse cloth, but this fabric 
 has never been extensively employed. 
 
 We have already adverted to the great numbers 
 of these animals which live together. They have 
 been seen in herds of three, four, and five thousand, 
 blackening the plains as far as the eye could view. 
 
THE BISON. 
 
 S3 
 
 Some Iravellei’s are of opinion that they have seen 
 as many as eight or ten thousand in the same herd, 
 but this is merely a conjecture. At night it is im- 
 possible for persons to sleep near them who are un- 
 accustomed to their noise, which from the incessant 
 lowing and roaring of the bulls, is said very much 
 to resemble distant thunder. Although frequent 
 battles take place between the bulls, as among do- 
 mestic cattle, the habits of the bison are peaceful 
 and inoffensive, seldom or never offering to attack 
 man or other animals, unless outraged in the first 
 instance. They sometimes, when wounded, turn on 
 the aggressor, but it is only in the rutting season 
 that any danger is to be apprehended from the fe- 
 rocity and strength of the bison bull. At all other 
 times, whether wounded or not, their efforts are 
 exclusively directed towards effecting their escape 
 from their pursuers, and at this time it does not 
 appear that their rage is provoked particularly, by 
 an attack on themselves, but their unusual intre- 
 pidity is indiscriminately directed against all sus- 
 picious objects. 
 
 We shall conclude this account of bison, by in- 
 troducing the remarks of John E. Calhoun, Esq.,* 
 relative to the extent of country over which this 
 animal formerly roved and which it at present in- 
 habits. 
 
 * Long’s Exp. to the source of the St. Peter’s river, ii. 
 
THE BISON. 
 
 23 
 
 The buffaloe was formerly found throughout the 
 whole territory of the United States, with the ex- 
 ception of that part which lies east of Hudson’s river 
 and Lake Champlain, and of narrow strips of coast 
 on the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, These were 
 swampy and had probably low thick woods. That 
 it did not exist on the Atlantic coast is rendered 
 probable, from the circumstance that all the early 
 writers whom Mr. Calhoun has consulted on the 
 subject, and they are numerous, do not mention 
 them as existing then, but further back. Thomas 
 Alorton, one of the first settlers of New England, 
 says, that the Indians “ have also made description 
 of great hoards of well growne beasts, that live 
 about the parts of this lake,” Erocoise, now Lake 
 Ontario, such as the Christian world, (untile this 
 discovery,) hath not bin made acquainted ivitb. 
 These beasts are of the biguesse of a cowe, their 
 flesh being very good foode, their hides good le- 
 ther, their fleeces very useful, being a kind of wolle, 
 as fine almost as the wolle of the beaver, and the 
 salvages do make garments thereof;” he adds, It 
 is tenne yeares since first the relation of these things 
 c^me to the eares of the English.”* We have in- 
 troduced this quotation, partly with a view to show 
 that the fineness of the buffalo wool, which has 
 caused it within a few years, to become an object of 
 
 * New English Canaan, by Thomas Morton, Amsterdam, 
 1637, p. 98. 
 
24 
 
 THE BISON. 
 
 commerce, was known as far back as Morton’s 
 time; he compares it with that of t!ie beaver and 
 with some truth; we were shown lower down on 
 Red river, hats that appeared to be of a very good 
 quality; they had been made in London with the 
 wool of the bulfaloe. An acquaintance on the part 
 of Europeans with the animal itself, can be referred 
 to nearly a century before that: forin 1532 , Guzman 
 met with bulfalo in the province of Cinaloa.^ De 
 Laet says, upon the authority of Gomara, when 
 speaking of the bulfalo in Quivira, that they are 
 almost black, and seldom diversified with white 
 spots.f In his history written subsequently to 1684 , 
 Hubbard does not enumerate this animal among 
 those of New England. Purchas informs, us that 
 in 1613 the adventurers discovered in Virginia, a 
 slow kinde of cattell as bigge as kine, which were 
 good meate.”J From Lawson, we find that great 
 plenty of buffaloes, elks, &c., existed near Cape 
 Fear river and its tributaries;^ and we know that 
 some of those who first settled the Abbeville dis- 
 ti ict in South Carolina, in 1756 , found the buflfaloe 
 there. De Soto’s party, who traversed East Florida, 
 Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansa Territory, 
 and Louisiana, from 1539 to 1543 , saw no buffaloe. 
 
 * De Laet, Americae utriusque Descriptio, Lugd. Batav, 
 anno 1633, lib, 6. cap. 6. 
 
 t Idem, lib. 6, cap. 17. t Purchas ut supra, p. 759. 
 
 § Lawson ut supra, p. 48, 115 &c. 
 
THE BISON. 
 
 25 
 
 they were told that the aoioial was north of them; 
 however, they frequently met with buffalo hides, 
 particularly when west of the Mississippi; and Du 
 Pratz, who published in i758, informs us that at 
 that time the animal did not exist in lower Louisiana. 
 We know however of one author, Bernard Romans, 
 who wrote in 1774, and who speaks of the buf- 
 falo as a benefit of nature bestowed upon Florida. 
 There can be no doubt that the animal approached 
 the Grulf of Mexico, near the Bay of St. Bernard; 
 for Alvar Nunez, about the year 1535, saw ihem 
 not far from the coast; and Joater, one hundred and 
 fifty years afterw'ards, saw them at the Bay of St. 
 Bernard. It is probable that this Bay is the lowest 
 point of latitude at which this animal has been 
 found east of the Rocky Mountains. There can 
 be no doubt of their existence west of those moun- 
 tains, though Father Venegas does not include them 
 among the animals of California, and although they 
 •were not seen west of the mountains by Lewis and 
 Clarke, nor mentioned by Harmon and Mackenzie 
 as existing in New Caledonia, a country of immense 
 extent, which is included betw’een the Pacific Ocean, 
 the Rocky *Mountains, the territory of the United 
 States, and the Russian possessions, on the north- 
 west coast of America. Yet their existence at present 
 on the Columbia, appears to be well ascertained, 
 and we are told that there is a tradition amons; the 
 natives, that shortly before the visit of our enter- 
 prising explorers, destructive fires had raged over 
 VoL. in. 4 
 
£5 
 
 THE BISON. 
 
 the prairies and driven the buffalo east of the 
 mountains. Mr. Dougherty, the very able and 
 intelligent sub-agent, who accompanied the expe- 
 dition to the llocky MotUntaius, and who communi- 
 cated so much valuable matter to Mr. Say, asserted 
 that he had seen a few of them in the mountains, 
 but not west of them. It is highly probable that 
 the buffalo ranged on the western side of the 
 Rocky Mountains, to as low a latitude as on the 
 eastern side. De Laet says, on the authority of 
 Henera, that they grazed as far south as the banks 
 of the river Yaquimi.^ In the same chapter this 
 author states, that Martin Perez had, in 1591, es- 
 timated the province of Cihaloa, in which this river 
 runs, to be three hundred leagues from the city of 
 Mexico. This river is supposed to be the same, 
 which, on Mr. Tanner’s map of North America, 
 (Philadelphia, 1833,) is named Hiaqui, and situated 
 between the £7^h and 28th degrees of north lati- 
 tude. Perhaps, however, it may be the Rio G-ila, 
 which empties itself in latitude 32°. Although we 
 may not be able to determine with precision, the 
 southern limit of the roamings of the buffalo west 
 of the mountains, the fact of their existence there in 
 great abundance, is amply settled by the testimony 
 of De Laet, on the authority of Gomara, 1. 6, c. 17, 
 and of Purchas, p. 778- Its limits to the north are 
 
 * “ Juxta Vaquimi fluminis ripas tauri vaccjeque et prae- 
 grandes cervi pascuntur,” ut supra lib. 6 cap. 6, 
 
THE BISON. 
 
 
 not easier to Atermine. In Hakluyts’ collection 
 we have an e^ract of a letter from Mr. Anthonie 
 Parkhurst, in jo78, in which he uses these words; 
 in the Island a Newfoundland there are raightie 
 beastes, like td camels in greatnesse, and their feete 
 cloven. I di(| see them farre off, not able to dis- 
 cerne them p rfectly, hut their steps shewed that 
 their feete wele cloven and bigger than the feete of 
 camels. I suppose them to be a kind of buffes, 
 which I read|to bee in the country s adjacent and 
 very many in the firme land.”^' In the same col- 
 lection, p. 639, we find, in the account of Sir 
 Humphrey Gilbert’s voyages, which commenced in 
 1583, that tliere are said to be in Newfoundland, 
 buttoltles, I'or a beast, it seemeth by the tract and 
 foote, very ]b,rge in the manner of an oxe.” It may, 
 however, bfc questioned whether these were not 
 musk oxen, instead of the common buffalo or bison 
 of our prairiis. W e have no authority of any weight, 
 which warrtints us in admitting that the buffalo 
 existed nortii of Lakes Ontario, Erie, &c. and east 
 of Lake Superior. From what w'e know of the 
 country between Nelson’s Hiver, Hudson’s Bay, 
 and the lower Lakes, including New South Wales 
 and Upper Canada, we are inclined to believe that 
 the buffalo never abounded there, if indeed any were 
 
 * The principal navigations, voyages, and discoveries of 
 the English nation, &c, by Richard Hakluyt, London, 1589, 
 p. 676. 
 
THE BISON. 
 
 28 
 
 ever found north of the lakes. Bit west of Lake 
 Winnepeck, we know that they a*e found as far 
 north as the 62nd degree of north ktitude. Capt. 
 Franklin’s party killed one on Saltriver, about the 
 60th degree. Probably they are foiud all over the 
 prairies which are bounded on the lorth by a line 
 commencing at the point at which tje 62nd degree 
 meets the base of the Rocky Mountaiis, and running 
 in a south easterly direction, to the sjuthern extre- 
 mity of Lake Winnepeck, which is 'mt very little 
 north of the 50tli degree; on the Sxrdatchawan, 
 buffalo are very abundant. It may be proper to 
 mention here, that the small white biif alo, of which 
 Mackenzie makes frequent mention, onthe authority 
 of the Indians, who told him that thej lived in the 
 mountains, is probably not the bison; for Lewis and 
 Clarke inform us, that the Indians designated by 
 that name the mountain sheep.* It is jirobable that 
 west of the Rocky Mountains the buff ilo does not 
 extend far north of the Columbia. At present it is 
 scarcely seen east of the Mississippi, ind south of 
 the St. Lawrence. Governor Cass’s party found in 
 1819, buffalo on the east side of the Mississippi, 
 above the falls of St. Anthony: every rear this ani- 
 mal’s rovings are restricted. In 1822, the limit of 
 its wanderings down the St. Peter, was Great Swan 
 Lake (near Camp Crescent.) 
 
 * Vol. ii. p, 325. 
 

 j^-4s-''''^9- *'V’ 
 
 wiT-:- ' 
 
 ''4^r~- 
 
 '.' I'T’ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/Jrmyii hv /\A J.i 
 
THE MUSK OX. 
 
 29 
 
 Species II.— TAe Musk Ox. 
 
 Bos Moschatus Gmel. 
 
 Mush Ox: Pejtst. Quad. i. 31. Ibid, Arct. Zool. 3 vol. i. 8. 
 
 Musk Ox: Heaene, Journey &c. 8vo. 135. 
 
 Basuf Musque: Burr. Hist. Natiu-elle Suppl. «. 
 
 Ov.bos* Musqui: Blainv. Nouv. Bullet, de la Soc. Philom. 
 
 Mush Ox: PaiTy’s Voyage, i. 202. 
 
 \Called Mathek-Mongsoo, or Ugly Moose, hy the Crees, 
 Uming Mak, by the Esquimaux. 
 
 To civilized man, the extreme northern regions 
 may appear cheerless and uninviting, because they 
 are subjected to the almost unrelenting influ- 
 
 * Mr. De Blainville proposed to establish a new genus, to 
 be called Ovibos or Sheep-ox, of which the Musk-ox is the 
 first species. His generic distinctions are drawn from the 
 resemblance between the outline of the front of the musk-ox 
 and that of the sheep, and from the absence of the muzzle or 
 smooth naked surface, between the nostrils, and upon the 
 upper lip. This division, though as well founded as that 
 which separates Capra from Ovis, we conceive to be alto- 
 gether unnecessary, as the characters are not more than 
 sufficient to establish a specific difference. In regard to the 
 muzzle, nothing is said in the text of Parry’s work, though 
 it is very distinctly represented in the plate, which is said to 
 be very accurate, and which we have copied; as the com- 
 mon descriptions of the musk-ox, have mostly been taken 
 from dridd skins, it is possible, that the absence of the muz- 
 zle has been stated too hastily. 
 
30 
 
 THE MUSK OX. 
 
 ence of wintry sides. Yet we have already seen 
 that they are the favourite resorts of multitudes of 
 animals, varying in size, characters and habits, from 
 the Lemming to the Moose. A species remains to 
 be described, which, of these forbidding regions 
 prefers the most barren and desolate parts, and is 
 found in the greatest abundance in the rugged and 
 scarcely accessible districts lying nearest the North 
 Pole. This species, so far from being condemned to a 
 life of extreme privation and suffering, appears to 
 derive as much enjoyment from existence, as those 
 which feed in more luxuriant pastures, or bask in 
 the genial rays of a summer sun. 
 
 In destining the musk ox to inhabit the domains 
 of frost and storm, nature has paid especial atten- 
 tion to its security against the effects of both; first, 
 by covering its body with a coat of long, dense hair, 
 and then, by the shortness of its Ijmbs, avoiding the 
 exposure that would result from a greater elevation 
 of the trunk. The projection of the orbits of the 
 eyes, which is very reraaiicable in this species, is 
 thought by Pauiiy to be intended to carry the eye 
 clear of the large rpiantity of hair required to pre- 
 serve the warmth of the head. 
 
 Although some few items relative to this animal 
 are to be gathered from the works of the recent ex- 
 plorers of the Northern Regions, it is to Hbarne, 
 that we are almost exclusively indebted for the 
 Natural History of the musk ox, as we have already 
 been for that of most of the animals inhabiting the 
 
THE MUSK OX. 
 
 31 
 
 same parts of this continent. This excellent and 
 accurate observer travelled, in the years ^ 69 , ’ 70 , 71 j 
 and ’72, and it is only to be regretted that he did 
 did not write down all he Icnew in relation to the 
 northern animals. He appears to have frequently 
 thought that what was so familiarly known to him, 
 would not be of much interest to others, and has 
 thus withheld knowledge that few individuals can 
 have a similar opportunity of gaining. Notwith- 
 standing this, he has anticipated all the recent ex- 
 plorers in every essential observation. 
 
 Hearne states that he has seen many herds of 
 musk oxen in the high northern latitudes, during a 
 single day’s journey, and some of these herds con- 
 tained from eighty to a hundred individuals, of 
 which number a very small proportion were bulls, 
 and it was quite uncommon to see more than two 
 or three full grown males, even w’ith the largest 
 herds. The Indians had a notion that the males 
 destroyed each other in combating for the females, 
 and this idea is somewhat supported by the warlike 
 disposition manifested by these animals during their 
 sexual season. The bulls are then so jealous of 
 every thing that approaches their favourites, that 
 they will not only attack men or quadrupeds, but 
 will run bellowing after ravens or other large birds 
 that venture too near the cows. 
 
 Musk oxen are found in the greatest numbers 
 within the arctic circle; considerable herds are oc- 
 casionally seen near the coast of Hudson’s bay, 
 
33 
 
 THE MUSK OX. 
 
 tbrougliout the distance from Knapp’s Bay to 
 Wager Water. They have. in a few instances been 
 seen as low down as lat. 60° N. Capt. Parry’s 
 people killed some individuals on Melville Island, 
 which were remarkably well fed and fat. They 
 are not commonly found at a great distance from the 
 woods, and when they feed on open grounds they 
 prefer the most rocky and precipitous situations. 
 Yet, notwithstanding their bulk and apparent un- 
 wieldiness, they climb among the rocks with all the 
 ease and agility of the goat, to which they are quite 
 equal in sureness of foot. Their favourite food is 
 grass, but when this is not to be had, they readily 
 feed upon moss, the twigs of willow, or tender 
 shoots of pine.* 
 
 The appearance of the musk ox is singular and 
 imposing, owing to the shortness of the limbs, its 
 broad flattened crooked horns, and the long dense 
 hair which envelopes the whole of its trunk, and 
 hangs down nearly to the ground. When full 
 
 * It is singular and well worthy of observation, that the 
 dung of the mu.sk os, though so large an animal, is not lar- 
 ger than, and, at the same time, is so nearly of the shape and 
 colour of that of the Alpine Hare, that the difference is not 
 easily distinguished except by the Indians, though the 
 quantity generally indicates the animal to which it belonged. 
 In the country adjacent to the. Coppermine river, long ridg- 
 es of this dung, together with that of deer and other animals 
 were seen by Hearne. Similar appearances were observed 
 by Parry on several of the North Georgian Islands. 
 
THE MUSK ,0\'. 
 
 33 
 
 grown, the musk ox is ten hands and a half high, 
 according to Parry, and as large as the generality, 
 or at least the middling size of English black cat- 
 tle; but their legs, though large, are not so long; nor 
 is their tail longer than that of a l)ear, and like the 
 tail of that animal it always bends downwards and 
 inwards, so that it is entirely hid by the long hair of 
 the rump and bind quarters. The hunch on their 
 shoulders is not large, being little more in propor- 
 tion than that of a deer. Their hair is in some parts 
 very long, particularly on the belly, sides and 
 hind quarters; but the longest hair about them, par- 
 ticularly the bulls, is under the throat, extending from 
 the chin to the lower part of the chest, between 
 the forelegs; it there hangs down like a horse’s 
 mane inverted, and is full as long.* 
 
 * “ Mr. Dragge says in his voyage, vol. 2, p. 260, that the 
 musk ox is lower than a deer, but larger as to belly and 
 quarters; which is very far from the truth. They are of 
 the size I have here described them, and the Indians always 
 estimate the flesh of a full grown cow to be equal to three 
 deer. I am sorry also to be obliged to contradict my friend 
 Mr. Graham, who says that tho flesh of this animal is car- 
 ried on sledges to Prince of Wales’ Fort, to the amount of 
 three or four thousand pounds annually. To the amount of 
 near one thousand pounds may have been purchased from the 
 natives in some particular years, but it more frequently 
 happens that not an ounce is brought one year out of five, 
 and in fact, all that has ever been carried to Prince of 
 Wales’ Fort, has most assuredly been killed out of a herd 
 
 VoL. ITT.— 5 
 
34 
 
 THE MUSK OX. 
 
 The winter coat of the musk ox is formed of two 
 sorts of hair, which is generally of a brownish red, 
 and in some places of a blackish brown colour; the 
 external being long, coarse, and straight, and the 
 internal, fine, soft and woolly. The outer hair is so 
 long that it hides the greater part of the limbs, caus- 
 ing them to look disproportionately short. As the 
 summer comes on, the short woolly hair is gradually 
 shed, but the summers are so short in these high 
 latitudes, that the woolly coat commences growing 
 almost immediately after the old coat is shed, so that 
 the entire winter coat is completed by the return of 
 the cold weather. 
 
 From the shortness of the limbs and the weight of 
 the body, it might be inferred that the musk ox could 
 not run with any speed, but it is stated by Parry, 
 that although they run in a hobbling sort of canter 
 that makes them appear as if every now and then 
 about to fall, yet the slow^est of these musk oxen 
 can far outstrip a man. When disturbed and hum 
 ed, they frequently tore up the ground with their 
 horns, and turned round to look at their pursuers, 
 but never attempted to make an attack. 
 
 The month of August is the season in which the 
 musk bulls are the most disposed to combat, as they 
 
 that has been accidentally found within a moderate distance 
 of the settlement, perhaps within a hundred miles; which is 
 only thought a step by an Indian.” Hearne, 136. (The fort 
 he mentions, was destroyed by the French in 1782.) 
 
THE MUSK OX. 
 
 35 
 
 then fight furiously with each other for the females, 
 and are jealous of the approach of every thing, as 
 already stated. The cows calve about the end of 
 May or the beginning of June; the calves are fre- 
 quently whitish, but more commonly marked by a 
 W’hite patch or saddle upon the back. 
 
 The musk oxen killed on Melville island during 
 Parry’s visit, were very fat, and their flesh, espe- 
 cially the heart, although highly scented with musk, 
 was considered very good food. When cut up it had 
 all the appearance of beef for the market. Hearxe 
 says that the flesh of the musk ox does not at all re- 
 semble that of the bison, f Bos Americanus J but is 
 more like that of the moose, and the fat is of a clear 
 white tinged with light azure. The young cows and 
 calves furnish a very palatable beef, but that of the 
 old bulls is so intolerably musky, as to be exces- 
 sively disagreeable. A knife used in cutting up 
 such meat, becomes so strongly scented with this 
 substance, as to require much washing and scouring 
 before it is removed.* Musk ox flesh when dried, 
 is considered by hunters and Indians to be very 
 good. “ In most parts of Hudson’s Bay it is known 
 by the name of Kew-hagon, but amongst the North- 
 ern Indians it is called Achees.” The weight of 
 
 *Moschusiste glandulis juxtaprseputiumpositis efformari 
 videtur; ibi materia fusca, concreta, fortissime moschi odo- 
 rans inventa est. 
 
36 
 
 THE MUSK OX. 
 
 the musk ox, according to Parry, is about 700 lbs. 
 that of the head and hide is ISOlbs. 
 
 The horns of the musk ox are employed for va- 
 rious purposes by the Indians and Esquimaux, es- 
 pecially for making cups and spoons. From the long 
 hair growing on the neck and chest, the Esquimaux 
 make their musquitoe wigs, to defend their faces 
 from those troublesome insects. The hide of the 
 musk ox makes good soles for shoes, and is much 
 used by the natives for this purpose. 
 
 During the months of August and September 
 the musk oxen extend their migrations to the North 
 Georgian and other islands bordering the northern 
 shores of the continent. By the first of October 
 they have all left the islands and moved towards 
 the south. By Franklin’s Expedition, they were 
 not seen lower than 66° N. though, as we have be- 
 fore stated from Hearne, they are occasionally seen 
 as low as 60°. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 Order VIII. Cete; Cetaceous Animals. 
 
 Cetaceous animals in general appearance and in 
 mode of living, bear a considerable resemblance 
 to fish, with which they are popularly confounded; 
 but by all the details of their conformation, their man- 
 ner of respiration and the nourishment of their off- 
 spring, they are entitled to rank in the first class of 
 animals, although at the inferior extremity of the 
 scale. 
 
 In these creatures the head is joined to the trunk 
 by so short and thick a neck, as to appear continuous 
 with the body, and this large neck is in the greater 
 number capable of very little, if any motion, owing 
 to the consolidation of several of the slender cervi- 
 cal vertebrae. The trunk of the body gradually de- 
 creases until it terminates in a thick tail, which 
 ends in a horizontal cartilaginous fin, and when 
 used by the animal in effecting its forward motion, 
 is moved up and down, never laterally. 
 
 The anterior extremities or arms, although in all 
 respects analogous to those of the higher orders of 
 animals, have the bones shortened, flattened and en> 
 
3S 
 
 CETACEOUS ANIMALS. 
 
 veloped in a tendinous membrane, so as to be effec- 
 tually converted into fins. The posterior extremi- 
 ties or limbs are entirely wanting. 
 
 The brain is large and well developed. The 
 bone containing the organ of hearing, or internal 
 ear, is separated from the rest of the head, being 
 attached thereto by ligament alone. The orifice of 
 the external ear is very small and destitute of exter- 
 nal appendage. The teats, two in number, are either 
 pectoral or abdominal. 
 
 <1 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 Family I. Sirbnia; Herbivorous Cetacea. 
 
 This family is distinguished especially by tlie ve- 
 getable diet of the animals belonging to it, which 
 is indicated by their flat grinding teeth. The bead 
 is not very large, and has always a short and obtuse 
 snout, at the extremity of which, the external open- 
 ings of the nostrils are situated, notwithstanding 
 they pass through the bones of the head from the 
 superior part. The mouth is garnished with long 
 bristles or whiskers, and the teats are situated upon 
 the chest. 
 
 The anterior extremities, though compressed, are 
 still sufficiently free to allow them to be used for the 
 purpose of carrying any thing by holding it against 
 the body, the young, for instance, being thusjheld by 
 the mother. The tail is not very large, but is pow- 
 erful. These animals swim with great facility, and 
 as they are able to raise the anterior parts from the 
 water, so as to form a considerable angle with the 
 trunk, it is considered as highly probable that the 
 various fables of sirens, tritons and mermaids may 
 
40 
 
 HERBIVOROUS CETACEA. 
 
 have originated from an imperfect oliservation of 
 their actions. 
 
 It must he admitted that tlie members of this fa- 
 mily, present little in their general appearance to 
 excite attention, unless it I)e their huge and almost 
 shapeless bodies; but their internal structure, actions 
 and habitudes, afford very ample scope for interesting 
 ' observations, and philosophical inquiry; as it would 
 not be easy, from any previous knowledge, to be- 
 lieve that merely herbivorous animals would be 
 found inhabiting the ocean, conformed in all re- 
 spects, so as closely to approach in external appear- 
 ance to fish, and yet in all the characters of teeth, 
 mode of feeding and digestive organs, to bear a very 
 marked resemblance to herbivorous land quadru- 
 peds. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Genus I. — Lamantin; Manatus, C. 
 
 GENERIC CHARACTERS. 
 
 The head is small and conical with a broad snout, 
 and rather small mouth; the eyes are placed high 
 up between the extremity of the snout and the open- 
 ings leading to the ears, which are very small and 
 hardly visible. The spine is composed of seven 
 very short cervical, seventeen dorsal, two lumbar, 
 and twenty-two caudal vertebrae. The ribs are 
 seventeen in number. In addition to the shoulder 
 blade, arm and forearm, the lamantins have all the 
 wrist or carpal bones, with the single exception of 
 the pisiform, the phalanges of the thumb are wanting, 
 and the corresponding metacarpal bone terminates 
 in a point. All the other digits have three pha- 
 langes. The stomach has several cavities, the coecum 
 two branches, and the colon is very large; in all 
 which circumstances they strongly resemble the 
 pachydermatous land animals, along with which 
 VoL. IIL—^B 
 
42 
 
 THE LAMANTIN. 
 
 they have been considered by some naturalists.^ 
 The surface of the body is entirely destitute of hair. 
 
 In the upper jaw; in young individuals two 
 small pointed incisive teeth are found, somewhat 
 similar to those of the morse. There are no ca- 
 nines. The eight molars resemble each other; they 
 have a general square form, and all present two 
 transverse eminences, formed of three tubercles, 
 separated from each other by a deep groove: they 
 all have three divergent roots, one internal, the 
 other two external. They increase gradually, but 
 almost imjjerceptibly, in size from the first to the 
 last. 
 
 In the lower jaw, neither incisive nor canine 
 teeth are ever found, and the molars resemble those 
 of the upper jaw, except in having a spur posterior- 
 ly, or a third eminence much smaller than the 
 others. These teeth have two roots, one in front, 
 
 * Blainville at first arranged them with the unguligrada, 
 and subsequently with the gravigrada, as the Elephants, &c. 
 See Ranzani, Elem. di Zoologia, ii. parte iii. p. 670 , 
 
 Dental System. 
 
J'm. I . 
 
 , ILrli' . Mnival, ot 7 mvom 
 
 l.'ifl. in hiuiih. 
 
 Ju<f. 2. 
 
 I'nihr si(7(' rii'ii' of tJi!" simtc' 
 
 Fill. 3 . 
 
 J.iuiumlin . 
 
THE LAMANTIN, 
 
 43 
 
 the other behind, at first simple, but enlarged, and 
 are bifurcated at their extremity. 
 
 In their reciprocal position, the eminences on one 
 side, correspond to the grooves and intervals of the 
 teeth on the opposite side, and to judge by the pre- 
 servation of the crests of the eminences, it appears 
 that these teeth are used more for triturating, than 
 for crushing or bruising the food. 
 
 • Species 1 .— American Lamantin. 
 
 Manatus Americanus. 
 
 Trichecus Manatus, L. Systema Natura:. 
 
 Manate ou Vache Marine: Dampier, voyage i. 46. Sloane, Jamaica, ii. 
 
 329, La Condamine, voyage, 154. 
 
 Manati Phocce genus, Cius. exot: 132.. 
 
 Lamantin mi Manaty: Du Tebtre, Hist. gen. des. Antilles. 
 
 Grand Lamantin des Antilles, Bute. Hist. Naturelle xiii. 377, C. Ann, 
 du Museum xviii. 282. pi. 19. Ibid. Ossem. Foss iv; Desm. Nouv. 
 Diet. d’Hist. Nat. xviii. 213 pi. G. 9. 
 
 Manatee, or Sea Coiu: Babtbam, Travels in Florida, 231. 
 
 If the reader infer from the number of authorities 
 prefixed to this article, that the history of the spe- 
 cies is amply or satisfactorily known, he will fall 
 into an error, which a very little experience in 
 books of travels, or systematic works of natural 
 history would sen^e to correct. Indeed, as a gene- 
 ral rule, the number of references affixed, is in an 
 inverse proportion to the amount of knowledge con- 
 
THE LAMAN'ITN. 
 
 44 
 
 ( 
 
 cerning the animal treated of, and it not unfrequent- 
 ly happens that the mere mention of the name of a 
 species, is all that occurs in a book quoted with all 
 the formality of title and page. Bartram, for in- 
 stance, who travelled in the country where the 
 lamantin is most commonly found, gives the whole 
 amount of his observation in nine unsatisfying lines. 
 Other observers, who have enjoyed equally good 
 opportunities, have contented themselves with a 
 mention of the animal, taking it for granted that no 
 other information was desirable. 
 
 Of this species we know little or nothing, but 
 what is given by Cuvier in the scientific works 
 above quoted, and from the observations made by 
 Du Tertre in his history of the Antilles. 
 
 The general figure of the lamantin is rather el- 
 liptical and elongated. Its head is shaped like a 
 simple truncated cone, and terminates in a thick 
 and fleshy snout, semi-circular at its extremity, and 
 pierced at its upper part, by two small semilunar nos- 
 trils, directed forwards. The edge of the upper 
 lip is tumid, furrowed in the middle, and provided 
 with thick and stiff whiskers. The lower lip is 
 narrower and shorter than the upper, and the open- 
 ing of the mouth is small. The eyes arc situated 
 towards the upper part of the head, at the same dis- 
 tance from the snout, as the angle of the lips. The 
 ears are very small, scarcely perceptible, and plac- 
 ed at the same distance from the eyes, that the lat- 
 ter are from the snout. 
 
THE LAMANTIN. 
 
 45 
 
 The neck is not distinguishable by any diminu- 
 tion or difference in size from the head and trunk, 
 and the latter does not diminish except from the 
 umbilicus, whence it rapidly decreases, until it 
 spreads out and becomes flattened, forming an ob- 
 long tail with a broad, thin, and seemingly trun- 
 cated extremity. The tail forms about a fourth of 
 the length of the animal. 
 
 The arm bones which sustain the fins are more 
 separated from the body, than those of the Delphi- 
 nus, and have digits more distinguishable through 
 the integuments. The edges of this fin have four 
 flat and rounded nails, which do not extend beyond 
 the membrane, the nail of the thumb being defi- 
 cient. The skin is of a gray colour, is slightly 
 shagreened, and has upon it a few scattered hairs, 
 which are more numerous than elsewhere about the 
 angles of the lips, and the palmar surface of the 
 fins. 
 
 The full grown lamantin is from fifteen to twen- 
 ty feet in length, by eight in circumference, and 
 weighs several thousand pounds. 
 
 Du Terthe states that the sight of the lamantin 
 is very feeble, but this defect is compensated by 
 the extreme acuteness of its hearing. In these re- 
 spects it closely resembles the seal. After having 
 satisfied its hunger by feeding on the sea grass or 
 fucus, which constitute its principal nourishment, 
 it delights to sleep upon the marshy grounds in 
 
46 
 
 THK LAMAiNTIN. 
 
 shallow water, where it lies with the snout elevated 
 above the water. 
 
 When the lamantin is discovered in this situa- 
 tion, the follov/ing mode of securing it, is resorted 
 to; three, or at most, four persons get into a canoe, 
 Avhich is managed by the man in the bow, who 
 moves his paddle from right to left, without lifting 
 it from the water, so as to impel the canoe swiftly 
 and without noise. The harpooner sits on a board 
 placed across the canoe in th/A forward part, and the 
 third person is placed in the middle of the boat to 
 manage the line attached to the end of the harpoon. 
 
 The canoe is then swiftly paddled tow^ards the 
 sleeping animal, the men observing the most pro- 
 found silence. When within three or four paces of 
 the lamantin, the harpoon is suddenly struck into 
 its body. The most violent efforts are then made 
 by the wounded animal, which leaps up and springs 
 forward with great force, making the sea foam, by 
 the celerity of its movements. Tired, at length, 
 with fruitless efforts to escape, and weakened by 
 loss of blood, the lamantin stops short, is again 
 wounded by other harpoons, and after a few more 
 unavailing struggles, yields its liberty and life to- 
 gether. 
 
 The female lamantin brings forth her two young, 
 Avhich follow her closely, and are very certainly 
 captured, if the mother be killed. The flesh of the 
 lamantin is considered an excellent article of diet, 
 aiul has, at former periods, furnished a large part of 
 
THE EAMANTIN. 
 
 47 
 
 the subsistence of the inhabitants of tSt. Cliristo- 
 phers, Griiadaloupe, and Martinique. This flesh 
 has the taste of veal, but is more solid, and covered 
 in various parts with two or three inches of fat, 
 which is used for the same purposes that lard is 
 commonly employed for. It is so good that many 
 persons melt the fat, and eat the oil upon bread in- 
 stead of butter. When salted, the flesh of the la- 
 mantin loses its flavour and becomes very dry and 
 hard. 
 
 The name of manati, (subsequently changed to 
 lamantin,) is said to have been originally given to 
 this animal by the Spaniards, in consequence of its 
 short anterior extremities, which were regarded as 
 hands. 
 
CHAPTER V, 
 
 Genus? — Steller; Stellerus, C. 
 
 Bytina, 111. Trichecits, Gmel. Manatus, Stell. 
 
 GENERIC CHARACTERS. 
 
 The head is blunt, joined to the body by a short 
 indistinct neck, and has no external ears; the eyes 
 are defended by a sort of cartilaginous membrane 
 instead of lids; the nostrils are situated at the ex- 
 tremity of the snout; both upper and lower lips are 
 vertically divided. The anterior extremities end 
 in flippers similar to those of the sea-turtle. The 
 caudal fin is very broad, crescent shaped, and ter- 
 minates on each side by a large point. The skin 
 is hairless, but is defended by an uncommonly tliick 
 epidermis, composed of fibres perpendicular to the 
 true skin. The stomach is simple; the intestines 
 upwards of 400 feet in length; the coecum of vast 
 size, and divided into huge pouches. 
 
 Dental System. 
 
THE STELLER. 
 
 49 
 
 These teeth are not set in the jaw by roots^ but 
 are affixed by nervous and vascular connexions.^ 
 The grinding surface is very rough; being hollowed 
 so as form many tortuous canals. 
 
 Species I . — Boreal Steller. \ 
 
 Stellerus Borealis; Desm. 
 
 Manatus; Stell. Act. Petrop. Com. Nov. ii. 294. 
 
 Trichecus Manaius: V. Borealis, Gmel. 
 
 Whak-tailed Manati: Penis'. Arct. Zool. 
 
 Whak-taikd Trichecus: Shaw. Gem Zool. 
 
 Rytina Stelkri: Desm. N. Diet. D’Hist. Nat. xxix. 575. 
 
 Stellerus Borealis: Ibid. Mammalogie sp. 752, p. 510. 
 
 The only detailed account of the manners and 
 habits of this singular animal^ is that originally 
 given by Steller in the transactions of the Imperial 
 Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg, in 1749. 
 From his valuable paper, which contains numerous 
 highly interesting observations on other animals, we 
 have translated the following faithfully observed 
 facts.J 
 
 * Resembling in this respect the duckbill animal of New 
 Zealand &c. 
 
 t Cuvier named the genus formed for this species, in 
 honour of Steller; we use his name for the common appella- 
 tion, because we wish to avoid confounding this animal w ith 
 the Manati by using Pennant’s term. 
 
 t This paper is entitled “ De Bestiis marinis auctore 
 
 Yol. III. 7 
 
^0 
 
 THE ST ELLER. 
 
 An nnfortmiale accident gave me an oppoiiuuily 
 of observing the manners and liabits of these ani- 
 mals, daily, before the door of our hut. They de- 
 light in the shallow sandy places, near the shores 
 of the sea, and are very fond of frequenting the 
 mouths of brooks and little rivers, being allured by 
 the sweetness of the running water; they always go 
 in troops, the half grown and young occupy the 
 front in feeding, but are solicitously enclosed on 
 the flanks and rear, so as to be always kept in the 
 midst of the troop. When the tide is high, they 
 come so close to the shore, that I have not only fre- 
 quently touched them with a staff or lance, but have 
 placed my hand upon their backs. If struck with 
 some force, they did nothing more than move a lit- 
 tle farther off, and in a short time forgetting the in- 
 jury, they would return. Entire families common- 
 ly live together, a male with a single female, and a 
 small quite young cub. They appeared to me to 
 be monogamous, bringing forth at any time of the 
 year, but most generally in the autumn, as I should 
 judge from the young about that time; hence as I 
 have observed them, most especially to couple in 
 the spring. I have concluded, that they bear their 
 young for more than a year, and do not bring forth 
 but one cub at a birth. I never observed more than 
 one cub in company with the mother. 
 
 Georgio Wilhelmo^ Stellero.” Vide Nov. Comm. Acad. 
 Scien. Imper. Petropolitance, tom. 2, p. 289, 294, et seq. 
 
THE STELLER. 
 
 51 
 
 These most voracious animals are almost inces- 
 santly feeding, and on account of this greediness, 
 have their heads nearly always under water, being 
 very little solicitous concerning life and safety. A 
 boat or a man may go into the midst of a troop, and 
 one may be selected and secured by a hook with- 
 out difficulty. All this must be done while they 
 are feeding, as at the end of every four or five 
 minutes, they raise their nostrils above water, and 
 blow out the air with a small quantity of water, 
 making a noise like the snorting of a horse. While 
 grazing, they move slowly forwards, one foot after 
 the other, and thus in part placidly swim, and 
 partly walk, like oxen or sheep browsing. The 
 half of the body, that is, the back and sides, always 
 project above the water while they are feeding, and 
 the gulls alight thereon for the purpose of picking 
 up the parasite animals with which their hides are 
 much infested, just as the ravens alight on the 
 backs of hogs to catch their lice. 
 
 They do not devour all the sea- weeds iudififer- 
 ently, but chiefly two or three species of Fucus or 
 Kelp, of which, when these animals have remained 
 a day or so in one vicinity, large heaps of the roots 
 and stalks are thrown ashore by the waves. Hav- 
 ing gorged themselves fully, some of them sleep 
 upon their backs, at some distance from the shore, 
 lest they be left aground by the tide. They 
 are frequently killed by the floatijig ice in winter, 
 which especially occurs if the waves are blown 
 
5S r»E STELliE^. 
 
 forcibly upon the rocks, among which these beasts 
 are entangled and killed. In the winter they be- 
 come so thin, that in addition to the back bones, all 
 the ribs may be counted through the skin.* 
 
 They are caught with a large iron hook, whose 
 extremity resembles the fluke of an anchor; the other 
 end has a ring to which a strong rope is secured. A 
 strong man takes this hook, and in company with 
 four or five others goes into a boat, which is slowly 
 rowed towards the herd. The bearer of the hook 
 stands in the prow of the boat, and as soon as he comes 
 near enough, strikes it into one of the animals. 
 Thirty or more persons on shore then get hold of 
 the rope and drag the struggling victim towards the 
 land. Those in the boat make themselves fast to 
 the beast with another rope; and so fatigue it by 
 repeated blows, until it becomes quiet, and then is 
 despatched by spears, knives, and other weapons, 
 and drawn on shore. Some cut huge pieces out of 
 the living animal, which only provoked it to vibrate 
 its tail, and struggle with its fore limbs so violent- 
 
 ** “ Vernali tempore more humane coeunt, ac prascipue 
 circa vesperam tranquillo marij antequam vero congrediun- 
 tur prseludia multa venerea pr^mittunt; foemella placide 
 natat hinc et inde in mari, mas vero semper sequitur; hunc 
 fcemella tarn diu multis gyrps et meandris eludit, donee 
 TOorae ulterioris ipsa inpatiens, velut delassata ac coacta, se 
 in dorsum resupinet, quo facto mas furiose superveniens 
 libidinis tributum solvit, ac arnbo in mutuos amplexus ru- 
 unt.” Steller ut supra. 
 
THE STELLER. 
 
 53 
 
 ly, as to cause large pieces of the cuticle to fly off; 
 it breathed strongly, and as if sighing. When 
 wounded in the back, the blood spirts as high 
 as if from a fountain; but this did not occur as long 
 as the head was retained under water, but as soon 
 as it was raised for the purpose of breathing, the 
 blood- gushed forth, because the lungs, lying next 
 the back, being wounded, whenever the air was in- 
 haled, it forced out the blood more freely. 
 
 When one of these animals is hooked, he begins 
 to move more impetuously, whereupon the herd and 
 those which are near are set in motion, and endeavour 
 to assist the captive. Some of them strive to upset 
 the boat, others endeavour to break the rope, or by 
 blows with their tails, try to disengage the hook, 
 which they sometimes successfully accomplish. It 
 is a very curious trait in their character, that their 
 conjugal love is exceedingly great: when the male 
 is hooked, the female, after having in vain struggled 
 to set him free, and been herself struck frequently, 
 would nevertheless follow her companion to the 
 shore, and would sometimes unexpectedly approach 
 the dead body, by darting forwards like an arrow. 
 One morning, when we came down very early to 
 cut up the flesh and carry it home, we found the 
 male near the body of his mate, and he remained 
 near, even until the third day afterwards, when I 
 went down to the shore alone, for the purpose of 
 cleaning some of the intestines. 
 
THE STELLER. 
 
 d-1 
 
 This animal has no voice, nor utters any sound, 
 merely breathing forcibly, and when wounded, as if 
 by sighs. Its organs of sight and hearing are of 
 slight power, as they are almost always submerged 
 and appear to be little employed. 
 
 We have stated in the specific description, as 
 well as the generic characters, the peculiar structure 
 of the skin of the steller. It will perhaps be still 
 more satisfactory to the reader to have the more de- 
 tailed description of it from the original observer, 
 whose statement we subjoin. 
 
 The hide of this animal is black, rough, wrinkled, 
 knotty, hard, tough, and destitute of hair, the epi- 
 dermis being an inch thick, and scarcely to be 
 penetrated by an axe or an iron hook. When cut 
 transversely, this cuticle resembles ebony, both in 
 polish and colour. The skin is smooth on the back; 
 from the neck, to the tail fin, it has nothing but su- 
 perficial circular wrinkles: the sides, however, are 
 exceedingly knotty, having many prominent ace- 
 tabula, especially about the head, bearing an un- 
 pleasant resemblance to mushrooms. 
 
 The cuticle above described, is like a crust sur- 
 rounding the body, and appears to be composed of 
 mere tubes. These tubes are placed perpendicu- 
 larly to the true skin, and may be separated from 
 each other in their length. The inferior part of 
 each tube which is implanted in the skin, is round- 
 ed, convex and bulbous; hence, a portion of cuticle 
 torn off, appears tuberculous like Spanish hide, 
 while the subjacent skin presents the appearance of 
 
THE STELLER. 
 
 5.^ 
 
 numerous little pits, which the cuticular bulbs had 
 occupied. As these tubuli lie very closely together, 
 are tough, moist and tumid, when the skin is cut 
 horizontally they do not appear, but present a 
 smooth surface like the pared hoof of an animal; 
 if pieces be dried in the sun, they crack perpendicu- 
 larly and may be broken like bark, at wiiich time, 
 this tubular structure, is perfectly obvious. Through 
 these tubes a mucous matter flows, especially upon 
 the sides, and about the head, and in smaller quan- 
 tities upon the back. When this beast lies upon 
 the shore for some hours, the back becomes dry, but 
 the head and sides remain moist. The use of this 
 singular cutiole appears to be, 1st. to. preserve them 
 from being destroyed by being thrown against the 
 ice in winter, or the rocks at all times, and Sdly, 
 that the vital heat may not be too much dissipated 
 in summer, by excessive transpiration, or altogether 
 extinguished by the cold of winter. They do not, 
 like other animals and fish, retreat to the depths of 
 the sea, but always expose half of their bodies to 
 the air, while feeding. 
 
 The cuticle about the head, eyes, ears, and 
 mammae, and under the arms, wherever it is knotty, 
 is attacked and infested by insects. It often hap- 
 pens that they perforate the cuticle and wound the 
 true skin, in which case, large and thick warts ai e 
 formed. 
 
 The true skin is about the sixth of an inch thick, 
 is soft, white, very strong, and similar to the skin of 
 the whale. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Family II.' — -GETiE; Piscivorous Cetaceous 
 Animals. 
 
 This family is distinguished from the preceding, 
 by the construction which has procured for all its 
 members the name of blowers, in reference to the 
 manner in which they expel the water taken in 
 along with their food from the nasal openings. The 
 membrane lining the nostrils being thus continually- 
 exposed to torrents of salt water, has very little, if 
 any sensibility as an organ of smelling. 
 
 They have a pyramidal larynx, or windpipe, 
 which is extended to the posterior opening of the 
 nostrils, through which the air is admitted to the 
 lungs without requiring the head and mouth to be 
 raised above the water. Their glottis is altogether 
 plain, and their vpice is reduced to a simple bellow- 
 ing. The body is destitute of hair, but is covered 
 by a thick, smooth skin, beneath which is a great 
 thicktiess of strong cellular substance containing a 
 large quantity of oil. 
 
 The teats are situated near the anus; the fins are 
 of no use except in swimming. Two small bones 
 
DOLPHIN PROPER. 
 
 situated in the flesh near the extremity of the diges- 
 tive canalj are the only vestiges of inferior extremi- 
 ties. Some have a dorsal fin, which is tendinous 
 and not connected with the skeleton. 
 
 Some of these animals have conical teeth, all of 
 the same sort, arranged along the edges of the jaws; 
 others have only horny layers, projecting from the 
 roof of the mouth, well known by the name of ba- 
 leen, though generally and inaccurately called 
 whalebone. 
 
 The eyes, which are flat anteriorly, have a very 
 thick and solid sclerotica or external coat. The 
 tongue is covered by soft and thick integument. 
 The stomach has from five to. seven distinct pouch- 
 es, and instead of one spleen, there are several, 
 which are small and lobular. 
 
 Tribe I. — Delphinus; L. Dolphin Proper; C. 
 
 Having teeth in both jaws, always simple and 
 almost always conical. Tliey have the mouth form- 
 ed in advance of the head, by a sort of beak, small- 
 er than the rest of the head. They are destitute 
 of Goecum. 
 
 VoL. HI. 
 
 ■8 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Section I, — Size of the head bearing the ordinary 
 jjroportion to that of the body. 
 
 Genus? — Dolphin; Delphiniis; L. 
 
 GENERIC CHARACTERS. 
 
 The form of the head is very various; there is 
 but one, semilunar, external orifice to the nostrils, 
 which is situated upon the crown of the head; the 
 trunk of the body is elongated; the tail fin is large, 
 bifurcated and horizontal. 
 
 Dental System. 
 
 The teeth of the pisciverous cet® scarcely differ 
 from each other, except in number, all appearing 
 to have the same form. They are conical and 
 slightly hooked; only the larger species have larger 
 teeth than the smaller, and when their series are 
 numerous, the anterior and posterior are smaller 
 than those in the middle. None of them have the 
 alveolar processes divided, nor multiplex roots; the 
 dental capsule remains for a long time free at the 
 base; but these teeth are not always growing, as the 
 

 
 
THK TRUE DOLPHIX. * 59 
 
 capsule is eventually obliterated. Then another 
 event occurs; ossification of the jaws takes place 
 within the alveoles, and as the teeth are not opposed 
 to each other, and no force retains them in their 
 places, they are soon thrust out and disappear. This 
 explains the very variable number of teeth we find 
 in dolphins of the same species, and still more so 
 in those of different species. Thus, not having ob- 
 served between the teeth of dolphins any essential 
 difference of form, and their differences of number 
 not being determinate, we liave nothing but the 
 form of their heads from which to establish the 
 generic differences. 
 
 Species I. — The true Dolphin.* 
 
 Delphinus Delphis; L. 
 
 Le Dauphin; Bois-jrATERHE; Cetol. 20, pi. x, fig;. 2. 
 
 Dauphin Vulgaire; Desm. Mammal, sp. "58, p. 514, 
 
 \Called Grampus, Porpess, Herrmghog, Dolphin.} 
 
 Hitherto the subjects of our study have been 
 inhabitants of grassy plains, or shady forests; the 
 margins of gentle streams, or the outlets of mighty 
 
 * We call this the true Dolphin to distinguish it from the 
 fish called dolphin by sailors, (the coryphana purpuris) and 
 because this species is the dolphin so celebrated in various 
 ancient poems and fables, to which Ave shall hereafter refer. 
 
60 
 
 THE TRUE DOLPHIN. 
 
 rivers: we now tuin our attention to creatures whose 
 most congenial dwelling is in the bosom of the 
 ocean. 
 
 So admirably are the beings, of which we are 
 now to treat, adapted to an aquatic life, that they 
 present a similarity of appearance to, and are most 
 commonly confounded with fish, though this resem- 
 blance extends no farther than to the general figure 
 of their bodies, and the modification of structure 
 which fits their extremities for swimming. Lan- 
 guage can scarcely convey an idea of the velocity 
 with which they dart through the water, seeming 
 rather to fly than to swim; resembling an arrow im- 
 pelled by a powerful bow, barely long enough in 
 sight to allow a conviction of its having passed. 
 Of their wonderful celerity of movement, and re- 
 markably playful disposition, we have recently en- 
 joyed many excellent opportunities of observation. 
 Once in particular, on a beautifully clear day, when 
 the sea was so strongly illuminated by the sun as to 
 render objects visible at almost any depth, and our 
 vessel was sailing swiftly before a strong breeze, se- 
 veral of these animals appeared to vie with each other 
 in showing how poor was her speed, compared with 
 their own. As the little troop were merrily gamboling 
 at a short distance from the vessel’s side, one of the 
 number would dart immediately in advance of her 
 bow, and swimming with his utmost velocity, would 
 disappear in a straight line before her, and (as the 
 depth at which he swam was not more than three 
 
THE TRUE DOLPHIN. 
 
 61 
 
 feet,) would in a minute or two be seen returniug to 
 the crew of his comrades, as if iu triumph. This 
 was repeated many times, and most probably by 
 different individuals. These dolphins accompanied 
 us for a considerable distance, and all their actions 
 appeared indicative of the most playful and frolic- 
 some disposition.^ 
 
 They frequently, however, are seen sailing along 
 with a slow and measured motion, just appearing 
 at the surface, by elevating the crown of the head 
 and then diving short, so as to make their bodies 
 describe the arch of a small circle, exposing them- 
 selves to view only from the crown of the head, to 
 a short distance behind the dorsal fin. Occasionally 
 
 * “ On the 20th of October, 1763, a hundred of these ani- 
 mals approached within pistol shot of our vessel, and ap- 
 peared to have come expressly for our diversion. They 
 made singular bounds into the air; several of them in their 
 caperings leaped three or four feet above the water, and turned 
 over and over several times, like professed tumblers. They 
 go almost always in troops, and swim as if arranged in bat- 
 tle array; they appear to move in search of the wind. We 
 have always remarked that they swim towards the point 
 whence the wind arises.” Dom. Pernethy, Hist, d’un voyage 
 aux lies Malouines, i. p. 97, See. 
 
 “ I have seen one playing around the vessel while she was 
 going at the rate of two leagues an hour: the sailors said 
 that it foretold a squall; in fact, one came on at midnight.” 
 St, Pierre^ voyage a File de France, p. 52. 
 
 In the instance above mentioned, witnessed by the author, 
 the vessel was moving at the rate of eight miles an hour. 
 
6a 
 
 THE TRUE DOLPHIN. 
 
 a troop ol' them may be seen scudding along, rising 
 in this manner in quick succession, as if anxious 
 each to get in advance of the other: while again, a 
 single individual may be observed successively ris- 
 ing and falling in the same way, as if engaged in 
 the act of catching a prey. 
 
 In this way, shoals of dolphins may be seen al- 
 most every day, and at any hour feeding or sport- 
 ing in the bay and rivers near the city of New 
 York, where we have sometimes enjoyed an oppor- 
 tunity of observing from the wharf, a large shoal of 
 them moving down the Hudson river with the tide. 
 Some plunging along as if in haste, others appa- 
 rently at play, and others very slowing rising to the 
 surface for breath, and as gradually disappearing, 
 allowing their dorsal fin to remain for a considerable 
 time above the surface. 
 
 From the month of May until towards the end 
 of Autumn, the true dolphins frequent the bays and 
 salt-water rivers of our country, in great numbers. 
 They are most numerous, and are best observed, 
 during the run of the herring and shad, upon which 
 they doubtless feast abundantly; they appear gra- 
 dually to diminish in number, as these fish retire 
 from the rivers and coast, though a small party may 
 be occasionally seen very late in the season. 
 
 During the month of June, the actions of this ani* 
 mal appeared very different from what we have no- 
 ticed at any other time. They swam in pairs, re- 
 mained for a longer time at the surface, and seemed 
 
THE TRUE DOLPHIN. 
 
 63 
 
 to be borne along by the tide rather than urged for- 
 wards by their own, volition. They moved in half 
 circles, lying rather upon their sides, and occa- 
 sionally lashing the water into foam with their tails 
 — then both disappearing, one in a few seconds 
 would rise at a little distance as if pursued — make 
 a short leap above the surface of the water, and on 
 falling, again commence the same kind of semicircu- 
 lar movement above described, accompanied by the 
 other. .We never observed them to show the beau- 
 ful inferior surface of their bodies at any other peri- 
 od, or to raise the tail fin above the water. But at 
 this season, the whole inferior surface of the body 
 on one side was frequently visible, and the tail occa- 
 sionally whirled in air, and brought down with 
 great force. 
 
 We wmuld have inferred that these movements 
 belonged to their ordinary gambols, was it not for 
 the fact that they all appeared to be paired off, and 
 almost all the pairs seen at this time w’ere similarly 
 occupied. With the exception of a lapse of about 
 three weeks in the month above mentioned, we 
 have never observed them to act in the same man- 
 ner. During the period referred to, we spent a part 
 of every day in observing them, and have repeated- 
 ly been within eight or ten feet of the spot where 
 they were sporting. Occasionally we have watch- 
 ed them for hours, until the force of the tide swept 
 them far beyond our view. 
 
04 
 
 THE TRUE DOLPHIN. 
 
 The appearance of a shoal of these animals, at 
 sea, moving in the same direction, is considered by 
 experienced mariners as an indication of an approach-: 
 ing storm, which very certainly follows their appear- 
 ance. Falconer, in his beautiful poem of the Shipr 
 Avreck, thus describes such a circumstance: 
 
 “ Now to the north fi’om burning Afric’s shore, 
 
 A troop of porpoises their course explore; 
 
 In curling wreaths they gambol on the tide, 
 
 Now bound aloft, now down the billow glide; 
 
 Their tracks awhile the hoary waves retain 
 That burn in sparkling trails along the main — 
 
 These fleetest coursers of the finny race, 
 
 When threatening clouds th’ ethereal vault deface, 
 
 Their route to leeward still sagacious form, 
 
 To shun the fury of the approaching storm.” 
 
 Canto II. § II. 
 
 Relative to the breeding season of the dolphin, 
 we have no information sufficiently exact to be re- 
 lied on. We have seen them in Long Island Sound 
 during the month of August, and the first part of 
 September, accompanied by suckers, varying in size, 
 and from eighteen inches to two feet or more in 
 length. In swimming, or rather in plunging, as 
 heretofore described, the sucker apparently rested 
 on the lateral or humeral fin of the parent, as it al- 
 ways was seen as if adhering to the same place by 
 the side of the parent, in all the movements made 
 in ascending or descending. 
 
THE TRUE DOLPHIN. 
 
 65 
 
 A full grown dolphin measures about six feet six 
 inches in length, from the tip of the mouth to the 
 end of the tail, and from the end of the beak to the 
 angles of the mouth the distance is ten and a half 
 inches; and measuring from the same point to the 
 breathing-hole, thirteen inches. The eyes are 
 placed almost precisely on the same line with the 
 angle of the mouth, and are ten and a half inches 
 distant from each other. The lateral or humeral 
 fins are nine and a half inches long, and four broad. 
 The dorsal fin, measured along its anterior edge, is 
 ten inches high; measured along its base in the di- 
 rection of the back, it is eight inches. The tail, 
 measured at the extremity of its two lobes, is four- 
 teen inches broad. 
 
 The body of the true dolphin is nearly oval, hav- 
 ing the dorsal fiii to curve backwards at its summit: 
 the beak being flattened and pointed, and contain- 
 ing in both jaws a range of rounded, rather pointed 
 teeth, which project from the sockets about three 
 twelfths of an inch. These teeth nre all arranged 
 so as to interlock; and appear to vary according to 
 the sex and age of the animal. The head of this 
 animal does not project over the beak, but is gra- 
 dually enlarged backwards until in a line with the 
 back. The line from the under surface of the 
 lower jaw, is continued with very little change of 
 
 *From 84 to 95 upper, from 84 to 95 lower teeth, all of 
 which are regarded as molars. 
 
 VoL. III.— =9 
 
66 
 
 Tllb rUUE UOLPJIIN. 
 
 direction till opposite the dorsal fioj where the body 
 is tliickesL From a hand’s breadth or more behind 
 the dorsal lin, the body rapidly diminishes to the 
 tail, and on the lower surface, the same rapid di- 
 minution takes place from beyond the anus. The 
 tail is composed of two strong lobes terminating in 
 points, which give a beautiful crescent shape, to 
 the extremity of this powerful instrument for 
 swimming. 
 
 In examining the anatomical details of this ani- 
 mal, one can not fail to be struck with the singular 
 appearance of the bones forming the lateral fins. 
 We find a shoulder blade, an arm bone, bones of 
 the forearm, wrist and fingers, all so modified as, 
 when covered by the skin, to resemble nothing so 
 much as a fin, yet so obviously analogous to the 
 same bones in the human subject, or in other ani- 
 mals, as to be recognised almost at a glance. The 
 construction of the blow-hole, or breathing ap- 
 paratus, is also well worthy the peculiar attention 
 of the observer who may have an opportunity of 
 examination, on account of its remarkable excel- 
 lence of adaptation, and the delicacy of its con- 
 struction. 
 
 The colour of the true dolphin, is of a black or 
 blackish green on the upper surface, and on the 
 inferior parts, of a light gray or whitish. There is 
 below the eye, on each side, a whitish ray or blaze 
 extending towards the humeral fins. 
 
GLADIATOR DOLPHIN. 
 
 07 
 
 Species W.— Gladiator DolpJiio. 
 
 Delphinus Gladiator. 
 
 Sckwerdt Jisch: Andekson, Island, p. 155. 
 
 Poisson d Sahre; Pages voyage au Pole nord, ii. p. 142. 
 
 Delphinus dorsi pinna altissima, & Muieer, Zool. Dan. Prod. p. 
 
 8. n. 57. 
 
 Delphinus Maxim/us: Olafsen, Voy. en Islande. 
 
 Dauphin Epee deMer: Bonwat. Cetol, sp. 5. p. 23. 
 
 Dauphin Gladiateur: Lacep. Hist. Nat. des Cetaces, 302. pi. 5, fig. 3. 
 Dauphin Espadon: Desm. Mammal, sp. 773. p. 517. 
 
 This dolphin was first described by Anderson in 
 the work above quoted, and we liave very little 
 knowledge of it, except what is derived from him. 
 The head of the gladiator is not highly arched 
 above, but is gradually tapering towards the snout, 
 which is short and as if truncated. Its mouth is 
 furnished with small pointed teeth. Its most re- 
 markable characteristic is a dorsal fin, which is 
 three or four feet Iiigh, by eighteen inches wide at 
 its base, slender towards its summit, and recurved 
 towards the tail. Mariners believe that this fin is 
 employed by this dolphin in attacking the whale: 
 but Anderson states “ that it is rather the mouth of 
 the animal that is dangerous. As they commonly 
 swim in small troops, they attack the whale in a 
 body, and tear off great pieces of his flesh, until 
 becoming excited to a certain degree, he thrusts out 
 his tongue, when they immediately fasten on this 
 
68 
 
 GLADIATOR DOLPHIN. 
 
 organ and devour it, and finally, gaining access to liis 
 mouth, they destroy the life of the animal.” Bonna- 
 terre remarks, that the same author thinks with 
 reason that the cetaceous animals called Millers, on 
 the coasts of New England, are of this species. In 
 fact, they have both jaws furnished with teeth which 
 interlock, have on their backs a fin four or five feet 
 high; swim in troops, and attack in a body young 
 whales, just as a pack of dogs attack a bull. Some 
 seize the whale by the tail to prevent him from 
 using this weapon of defence, while the others at- 
 tack and bite him about the head, until the un- 
 wieldy creature becomes fatigued, and thrusts forth 
 the tongue as already stated. 
 
 The gladiator dolphin is found on the coasts of 
 Spitzbergen, in Davis’s straits, and on the New 
 England coasts. The Chevalier Pages, on his voy- 
 age towards the north pole, found them about the 
 79th degree of latitude. The sabre-fish,” says 
 he, are also found among the ice, but they rarely 
 quit the frozen climate near the pole. They are 
 from twenty-three to twenty-five feet long; they are 
 black, and carry their sabre perpendicularly upon 
 the back; this sabre is curved backwards, and is 
 about four feet long. I have seen whales fly from 
 them with the utmost celerity, and I have seen 
 others deeply scarred by the weapon of this war- 
 like animal.”^ 
 
 * Op, cit. apud Bonnaterre Cetologie ut supra. 
 
THE SEA-SWINE. 
 
 69 
 
 Species III . — The Sea-swine, 
 
 Delphinus Phocoenaj L. 
 
 Delphinus Phocoena: Bniss. Eegne An. 371, No. 2. 
 
 Dauphin Marsoiiin; Lacep. Get. 284, pi. 13, fig. 2. 
 
 Dauphin Mar souin; Bonnaterbe, C^tol, p. 18, sp. 1. 
 
 \Called hy the English 'Porous: hy the Dutch Bruinvisch; 
 in German Meerschwein; hy the French Marsouin.] 
 
 We give an account of this species in this place, 
 because authors are in the habit of ranking it among 
 those which frequent our coasts. But we have not 
 been able at any time to learn that the sea-swine 
 has been seen in our waters, or that any other spe- 
 cies than those already mentioned are known to our 
 fishermen. The dolphin first described, or true 
 dolphin, is the species universally known by the 
 name of porpus^ in this country, and is at once dis- 
 tinguishable from the European porpus, or sea- 
 swine, by its elongated flattened beak; the latter 
 having a blunt snout, without any beak. If it ever 
 is seen on our coasts, it must be very rare, as we 
 have been thus far unable to find any one who has 
 seen it, except in the seas bordering the shores of 
 Europe. We therefore introduce the description of 
 
 * Porpus is a corruption of pore-poisso?i, as the French 
 marsouin is of the German meerschivein. 
 
70 
 
 THE SEA-SWINE. 
 
 the, species from Bomiaterre, in order lliat those 
 who Jiavc opportunities of observation, may he able 
 to compare the animals and settle the question. 
 
 The body of the sea-swine is conical, having a tri- 
 angular liu on the back. The snout is pointed, and 
 the teeth rounded, trenchant, and enlarged at their 
 summits. The body of this animal is round, thick, 
 and tapering towards the tail. The head represents 
 an obtuse cone, which is much arched above the orbits 
 of the eyes: it thence gradually tapers down to the 
 snout. The eyes are situated opposite the opening 
 of the mouth: the pupil is black, surrounded with a 
 white iris. Both jaws are nearly of the same 
 length; the lower one being armed on each side 
 with a range of small teeth, which are slender at 
 the base, flattened, trenchant, and rounded at the 
 summit; varying in number from fifty to fifty. five. 
 Behind the eye is a small round hole, an inch in 
 diameter; this is the ear. The blow-hole is situated 
 upon the summit of the head, in the centre of the 
 interval between the eyes and angle of the mouth. 
 The nostrils are placed between the blow-holes 
 and the extremity of the muzzle. Tlie lateral fins 
 are placed upon the borders of the lower surface of 
 the body: the dorsal fin occupies the middle of the 
 back. Behind this fin the back is flattened anu 
 raised in the middle by a projection which extends 
 entirely to the caudal fin. On the part of the 
 l)elly corresponding to the dorsal fin, there is a de- 
 pression which conceals the sexual organs. The 
 
THE SEA-SWINE. 
 
 71 
 
 vent is equi- distant from the <Iepiessioii and the 
 caudal fill. The caudal fill is formed of two lobes 
 roimded at the points^ and slightly grooved. The 
 colour of the whole superior surface is of a black- 
 ish blue: the belly whitish. The length from six 
 to eight feet. 
 
 This animal, which is considered an excellent 
 swimmer, habitually carries the head and tail curv- 
 ed downwards, and in consequence, shows nothing 
 but the back when it comes to the surface to breathe; 
 but as soon as it is dead, it extends itself in a 
 straight line. They feed on small fish, which they 
 pursue with inconceivable swiftness. The sea- 
 swine are almost always seen in troops, especially 
 in their sexual season, which is in the month of 
 August. It is then common to see ten or fifteen 
 males in pursuit of a single female, and they press 
 on with so much ardour, that they are often strand- 
 ed on the beach before they are aware of their 
 situation. The young are carried ten months; only 
 one is brought forth at a time. An embrion, extract- 
 ed from the mother by Klein, w^as about twenty- 
 one inches long. The young one constantly fol- 
 lows the mother until weaned. 
 
 The flesh of this animal is oily and disagreeable. 
 The Laplanders, Greenlanders, and others eat it. 
 In some parts of the world they are killed for the 
 sake of their oil and skins. 
 
72 
 
 FABULOUS HISTORY 
 
 Fabulous History of the Dolphin. 
 
 Few animals have occupied a more distinguished 
 place in the writings of historians and poets, than 
 the dolphin, whose actual habits and manners we 
 have just examined. From Herodotus, the father 
 of Greek historians, down to a comparatively recent 
 period, we find a succession of wonderful incidents 
 related, originating either from the most inaccurate 
 observation of fact, or from the wildest extravagance 
 of fancy. 
 
 It will be an amusing, and we hope not an unin- 
 structive lesson, to trace some of the most remarka- 
 ble of these stories, both to show how far the human 
 mind may permit itself to be misled, and to set at 
 rest, by exposing their futility, such recitals as the 
 beauty and excellence of poetry tend to perpetuate 
 as probable or true. Investigations of this kind may 
 in some degree lessen the pleasure derived from 
 works of fiction, but the advantage of being pos- 
 sessed of the truth, far outweighs the temporary 
 gratification arising from an indulged imagination. 
 
 The most ancient of the accounts given of the do- 
 cility and friendly disposition of the dolphin, is that 
 related of Arion, by Herodotus in his first book. 
 As this may be considered the source from which 
 most of the others have sprung, we subjoin a free 
 translation from the venerable historian. 
 
OF THE DOLPHIN. 
 
 73 
 
 Periander was king of Corinth. The Corin- 
 thians relate^ (and the Lesbians agree with them,) 
 that during his life-time, a great prodigy occurred. 
 They say that Arion was carried from Methymna 
 to Tasnarus upon the back of a dolphin: as a musi- 
 cian, he was second to none, as a dithyrambist, we 
 know he was the first, composing, giving rules and 
 teaching at Corinth. Having spent much of his 
 time with Periander, he desired to visit Sicily; hav- 
 ing acquired much wealth there he wished to go back 
 to Corinth, for which purpose he hired a vessel from 
 some Corinthians at Tarentum. When at sea, they 
 conspired to throw him overboard, that they might 
 share his money; which having learned, he earnest- 
 ly besought them to take his wealth, but spare his 
 life. But. they, unmoved by his entreaties, ordered 
 him either to kill himself, and perchance obtain a 
 burial on shore, or to cast himself instantly into the 
 sea. 
 
 Driven to despair, Arion besought them, since 
 it was thus determined, that they Would allow him 
 to sing, standing completely arrayed on the deck. 
 They promised him that he might die singing, and 
 pleased that they should hear the most excellent of 
 musicians, they removed from the poop towards the 
 middle of the ship. Arion, clad in his professional 
 robes,^ took his lyre, and, standing on the deck, ran 
 
 *Ev fri ixtv/i TtaoYi is rendered by Dalzell, “ completely ar- 
 rayed,” as we have given the phrase in the second para- 
 
 VoL. in._io 
 
FABULOUS HISTORY 
 
 74 
 
 through the Orthian measure.* * Having concluded, 
 he threw himself into the sea, and they sailed on from 
 Corinth. But Arion, sitting on a dolphin’s back, 
 was conveyed to Taenarus, &c. &c. , These things 
 are still told by the Corinthians and Lesbians. 
 I'here is a small brazen votive tablet of Arion near 
 Tsenarus, of a man mounted upon a dolphin’s 
 back.f 
 
 graph. Murphy says it was not his ordinary dress he. wish- 
 ed to die in, but one peculiar to him as a musician. 
 
 * So called, because sung at the highest and strongest pitch 
 of the voice. “ OpOiov enim Grseci dicunt quod arduum est, 
 et quam altissima voce elevatum. — Oesnerus. 
 
 t Herodotus, ix i?;a — This story did not escape the 
 
 biting irony of Lucian, whose talent for ridicule has rarely 
 been surpassed. He has a dialogue between Neptune and 
 the very dolphin who bore Arion in safety to Taenarus, and 
 makes him repeat Herodotus’s story, as “ having heard 
 the whole of it while swimming round the ship.” Lucian 
 also accounts for the fabled attachment of the Dolphin to 
 the human race, by making this one remind Neptune that 
 they were changed from men to dolphins by Bacchus. Ovid 
 relates the transformation in his third book of Metamor- 
 phoses, where Bacchus himself, in the semblance of his 
 companion Acsetes, is the speaker: — 
 
 “ At Lybis obstantes dum vult obvertere remos, 
 
 In spatium resilire manus breve vidit; etillas 
 Jam non esse manus jarti primas posse vocari. 
 
 Alter ad intortos cupiens dare brachia funes 
 Corpore desiliiit; fulcata novissima cauda est 
 Qualia dimidias sinuantur cornua lunse.” 
 
OP THE DOLPHIN. 
 
 75 
 
 The sagacious and judicious Plutarch not only re- 
 peats this story, but introduces Gorgias in the conver- 
 sation of the seven wise men, as saying, that he knew 
 Arion, before he landed from off the dolphin’s 
 back, because be had on the dress he had worn at 
 the public games. Aulus Gellius repeats the story 
 from Herodotus, as it was originally told, and Ovid 
 perpetuates it in verse.*^ 
 
 Numerous examples, (says Aristotle,) of the 
 gentleness and mild manners of dolphins are relat- 
 ed. About Tarentiira, Caria and other places, they 
 tell of their love and regard for boys. A dolphin 
 having been wounded near Caria, a troop of doh 
 phins, it is said, gathered in the port, until the fish- 
 
 * Ille metu vacuus, mortem non deprecor inquit; 
 
 Sed liceat sumta pauca referre lyra. 
 
 Dant veniam, ridentque moram: capit ille coronam, 
 Quas possit crines, Phoebe, decere tuos, 
 
 Induerat Tyrio bis tinctam murice pallam: 
 Reddidit icta suos pollice chorda sonos; 
 
 Flebilibus veluti numeris canentia dura 
 Trajectus penna tempora cantat olor. 
 
 Protinus in medias ornatus desilit uiidas, 
 
 Spargitur impulsa cserula puppis aqua. 
 
 Inde, fide majus tergo Delphina recurvo 
 Se memorant oneri supposuisse novo. 
 
 Ille sedens. citharamque tenet, pretiumque vehendi 
 Cantat, et aequoreas carmine mulcet aquas, 
 
 Di pia facta vident: astris Delphina recepit 
 Jupiter, et stellasjussit habere novem. 
 
76 
 
 FABULOUS HISTORY 
 
 erman set his prisoner at libertyj when they all 
 went off. A larger dolphin likewise always ac- 
 companies them as a guard. A troop of dolphins 
 of larger and smaller size, were once seen, and, at 
 no great distance behind them, two dolphins ap- 
 peared, bearing up the body of a young dead dolphin 
 on their backs, by swimming beneath it, as if iu“ 
 duced by pity lest it should be devoured by some 
 beast.* 
 
 (Elian relates in the third chapter of his eighth 
 book, that Ceranus, the Parian, purchased the free- 
 dom of some dolphins caught by Byzantine fisher- 
 men, and afterwards sailed towards his own coun- 
 try in a Milesian vessel of fifty oars. His vessel 
 was cast away in the strait of Paros, but these dol- 
 phins which he had set at liberty, came in time to 
 save their deliverer, and landed him on a promonto= 
 ry, subsequently called Cerania, in honour of hiraj 
 at his death, he requested to be interred at that placej 
 thither the dolphins went to pay their benefactor 
 merited funeral honours. 
 
 Leonidas of Byzantium, narrates (in (Elian’s 2d 
 book, ch. 6.) that a man and his wife of Ple- 
 roselene, taught a dolphin to eat from their hands, 
 and accustomed their sou to be very familiar with 
 the animal, which very regularly frequented the bar- 
 hour of the town, appearing to regard it as his home. 
 When old enough to take care of himself, he sought 
 
 * Aristoteles d*e Animalibus Historiae, lib. ix. cap. 35. 
 
OF THE DOLPHIN. 
 
 77 
 
 his subsistence at sea, and brought a share of his 
 success in fishing daily to his friends. The pa= 
 rents had given the same name to the dolphin and 
 their son. When the boy sat upon a projecting 
 rock, and called his friend, the dolphin immediately 
 hastened towards him, testifying his pleasure by 
 his frolicsome movements. This connection be- 
 tween the boy and dolphin, occasioned a great 
 deal of rumour, and was very profitable to the 
 parents.* 
 
 The younger Pliny, however, exceeds all these 
 wonders, by the following recital. A scholar, named 
 Hippus, in the time of Augustus, who attended a 
 class at Puzzoli, was in the habit of going daily 
 along the shores of Eaia, and about mid-day, of 
 stopping and throwing pieces of bread into the water 
 to a dolphin. If the youth called the dolphin at 
 any time, he would immediately come, and after 
 eating his bread, would offer his back for the use 
 of his friend who would mount thereon, and he 
 would swim with him to Puzzoli, and afterwards 
 carry him back in the same manner. This friendly 
 intercourse was maintained for several years; but 
 
 * There is nothing improbable in the dolphin’s obedience 
 to a certain call from one accustomed to supply it with food. 
 Animals of very inferior rank to the dolphin, may be taught 
 as much. I’he improbability, is in the gratitude of the ani- 
 mal, evinced by the offer of part of his fish. 
 
FABULOUS HISTORY 
 
 78 
 
 t!ie boy dying, the afflicted animal came frequently 
 to the accustomed place, remained there sorrowful 
 and wretched, and finally died of grief!* 
 
 The reasons for believing the present species to he 
 the dolphin of the poets, are the following; first, it 
 is the only dolphin which is known habitually to fre- 
 quent the coasts, or to visit the deep bays Which 
 extend far inland. The sea-swine (meerschwein, 
 marsouin, Delplimiis Phocmna,) have no beak ex- 
 tending beyond the arched part of the head, and as 
 they are seldom seen except in the full sea, are not 
 likely to have afforded much opportunity to the an- 
 cients for examination. That they were well ac- 
 quainted Mutli our dolphin, we have the most ex- 
 cellent evidence, in the figure of the one which 
 accompanies the statue of the Venus de Medieis. 
 Although the usual poetical licence has been taken 
 by the sculptor, of placing the animal resting 
 on the underjaw and neck, with its body and tail 
 raised in fanciful undulations, from the great re- 
 semblance of the head and beak to those of the dol- 
 phin we have been examining, in conjunction with 
 the circumstances of its habits, numbers and fami- 
 liarity with the bays and rivers of almost all the 
 world, we are persuaded of the identity of the spe- 
 cies frequenting our waters, with that to which all 
 the ancient fables relate. 
 
 * See Pliny, lib. ix, cap. viii. 
 
OF THE DOLPHIN. 
 
 79 
 
 We have thought it unnecessary to bring the fa- 
 bulous history of the dolphin down to a later period 
 than that of Pliny, as all the subsequent stories 
 appear to be variations of the same. , It is impos- 
 sible, however, not to feel sorry that some modem 
 works of great authority and usefulness, continue to 
 interweave so much of what is haxelj possible, with 
 the little that is attested in regard to this and other 
 animals, as to give an air of fable to the whole. 
 The following from the “ Nouveau Dictionnaire 
 d’Histoire Naturelle,’^ may serve as an instance. 
 
 ‘‘ The dolphins form among themselves a sort of 
 society; they defend those of the troop that may be 
 attacked, and utter frightful cries, in order to induce 
 the aggressors to release them. The little dolphins 
 are placed in the middle of the troop; the large and 
 most robust at its head: they all preserve their or- 
 der like a battalion of soldiers; they swim each in 
 their ranks; the females compose the rear guard, 
 and urge on the stragglers.”* 
 
 This is not the only passage of the kind, that 
 might be selected from the article on the dolphin, 
 in the same work. If the time shall ever arrive, 
 when the facts of natural history are given, without 
 admixture with fable, the world will be more rapid- 
 ly and satisfactorily advanced in improvement than 
 can possibly be hoped for, so long as imagination 
 
 * Virey op. citato. 
 
FABULOUS HISTORY &C. 
 
 is permitted to usurp the place of truth. The latter^ 
 like perfect beauty, is unsusceptible of adornment, 
 and is always more admirable in its simplicity than 
 any fiction, however ingeniously contrived or gorge- 
 ously ornamented. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Genus Naraval; Monodori', L. 
 
 GENERIC CHARACTERS. 
 
 General form of the body similar to that of the 
 dolphin; a single spiracle or blowhole on the supe- 
 rior part of the head; mouth small; no teeth within 
 the mouth, one long spiral tusk growing from the 
 intermaxillary bone; dorsal crest or spine, instead 
 of a fin. The eyes and ears small.^ 
 
 Species I . — The JVarwal. 
 
 Monodon Monoceros; L. 
 
 Monodon Narwhal: FABRicrtJs, Faun. Greenl. 29. 
 
 Narwhal oder tinhorn: Akdersoit, Island. 225. 
 
 Narwhal: Bonnat. Cetol: 10, 
 
 Narwhal Vulgairt: Lacep. Hist. Nat. des Cdtac^s. 142. 
 
 Narwhal, or Unicom of the Whalei-s: Scohesbt, Arct. Regions, i. 486. 
 Ibib. Vo 3 »age to Greenland, 129. 
 
 \Commonly called Sea- Unicorn.'] 
 
 The narwal is an inhabitant of the arctic seas, 
 and consequently is seldom seen, except by the ad- 
 
 * “ Penis vaginatus; mammae lactantes binae et genitalia 
 feminarum sub abdomine; pone ilia anus.” Bonnat. 
 
 Yol. in.— 11 
 
82 
 
 THE NARWAL. 
 
 venturous mariners, who seek the spoils of the 
 whale amid the perils of polar ice and storms. 
 Fortunately, however, some few of these, incited by 
 hopes of gain to visit those forbidding regions, have 
 been well qualified to make accurate scientific obser- 
 vations, and owing to their zealous industry, we have 
 actually less to desire concerning the animals found 
 in the icy seas, than in relation to many others, al- 
 most within the reach of every observer. 
 
 Among the individuals to whom science is most 
 deeply indebted, the name of Scoresby must ever 
 stand conspicuous; few persons have contributed so 
 largely to the advancement of natural history, while 
 engaged in ordinary commercial pursuits, and still 
 fewer have eflected the object so well under any 
 circumstances. His mind appears to have been 
 one of that rare, but amiable composition, in which 
 genius, talent, energy and sound common sense, are 
 blended in such just proportion, as to be capable of 
 operating at all times, and upon all materials, to the 
 greatest possible advantage. From his valuable 
 researches we shall derive almost all the observa- 
 tions which remain to be made upon the cetaceous 
 animals, claiming for ourselves no other merit than 
 that of having collected and arranged them. 
 
 The vertebral column of the narwal is about 
 twelve feet long; there are seven cervical, twelve 
 dorsal, and thirty-five lumbar and caudal vertebrae, 
 being in all fifty-four; twelve of which enter the tail 
 and extend to within an inch of its extremity. The 
 
THE NAIIWAL. 
 
 83 
 
 spina marrow runs through all the vertebrae, from 
 the head of the fortieth, but does not penetrate the 
 forty-first. The spinous processes diminish in 
 length from the fifteenth lumbar vertebrae, until it is 
 scarcely perceptible at the nineteenth. Large pro- 
 cesses, attached to two adjoining vertebrae, and aris- 
 ing from the inferior surface of the bodies of the 
 vertebrae, commence between the thirtieth and thir- 
 ty-first, and terminate between the forty-second and 
 forty-third. There are twelve ribs, six true and 
 six false, on each side, which are slender for the 
 size of the animal. The sternum is heart-shaped, 
 with the broadest part anteriorly. Two of the 
 false ribs, on each side, are joined by cartilages to 
 the sixth true rib, the others are detached. 
 
 The narwal, when full grown, measures from 
 thirteen to sixteen feet in length, exclusive of the 
 tusk, and at the thickest part, which is two feet be- 
 hind the fins, the circumference is about eight or 
 nine feet. The part of the body anterior to the fins 
 and head, are paraboloidal; the middle portion of 
 body is almost cylindrical, the posterior portion, to 
 within three orfour feet of the tail, is somewhat coni- 
 cal; thence, aridge commencing both at the back and 
 belly, the section becomes first an ellipse, and then 
 a rhombus at the junction of the tail. The perpen- 
 dicular diameter, at a distance of twelve or fourteen 
 inches from the tail, is about one foot, the transverse 
 diameter is about seven inches. The back and 
 belly ridges, run half way or more across the tail; 
 
81 
 
 THE MAKWAL. 
 
 the edges of the tail run in the same way along the 
 body, and form ridges on the sides of the rump. 
 Posterior to a very slight elevation at the spiracle, 
 the outline of the back forms a regular curve; the 
 belly appears to rise, or is contracted near the vent, 
 and expands to an obvious bump, about two feet an- 
 terior to the genitals. The back appears depressed 
 and flat three or four feet posterior to the neck. 
 
 The head forms about one seventh of the whole 
 length of the animal, being small, blunt, and round. 
 The mouth is small, and incapable of much exten- 
 sion, having a wedge-shaped underlip. The eyes 
 are only one inch in their largest diameter, and are 
 placed on a line with the opening of the mouth, at 
 about thirteen inches from the snout. The opening 
 of the ear, situated six inches behind the eye, on 
 the same horizontal line, is of the diameter of a 
 small knitting needle. The scull of the narvval, 
 like the dolphin, &c. is concave above, and sends 
 forth a large, flat, wedge shaped process in front, 
 which affords sockets for the tusks. There is upon 
 this process a bed of fat extending horizontally to 
 the thickness of ten or twelve inches, and eight or 
 ten perpendicularly. To this fat, the roundness of 
 the head is owing, and according to the quantity 
 present, is tiie prominence of the front, and the va- 
 riation of the facial angle, from 60 to 90 degrees. 
 
 The spiracle or blowitole is situated immediately 
 over the eyes, and is a single semicircular opening 
 about three and a half inches in diameter and one 
 
 t 
 
THE NARWAL. 
 
 85 
 
 inch and a half in length. It expands immediate- 
 ly within the shin into a sac or air vessel, six or 
 eight inches wide, and extending laterally and for- 
 ward, into two cavities, one on each side; the ex- 
 tremities of which, are about twelve inches apart. 
 These contain some mucous matter; the lining of 
 the whole sac is a thin, greenish, black membrane. 
 At the posterior extremity of the sac, the blowholes 
 are seen, divided there, into two distinct canals 
 in the skull. They are closed by a valve resem- 
 bling a hare lip, one lobe of which covers each 
 canal. This valve in the narwal, does not, (as in 
 the whale), enter the canal in the skull, but merely 
 closes down upon it. It, however, effectually ex- 
 cludes the sea* water from the lungs, whatever be the 
 pressure; it becomes, in fact, firmer and closer, in 
 proportion as the weight of water is increased. The 
 valve is about six inches wide and is closed and 
 opened by two radiated muscles. It is detach- 
 ed from the skull beneath, about six inches to- 
 wards the snout. In consequence of this separa- 
 tion, the valve is sufficiently free, and has room 
 enough in the adjoining sac to be drawn upward 
 and forward, so as to expose the breathing canals, 
 or falling upon them like the valve of a pump-box, 
 to secure them against the entrance of water. The 
 two lobes of the valve are connected by a fleshy 
 septum, slightly attached to the cartilaginous part of 
 the bony partition between the blow-holes in the 
 skull. 
 
80 
 
 THE NARWAL. 
 
 Tlie tins are twelve or fourteen inches long, and 
 six or eight broad, and placed at one fifth of the 
 length of the animal from the snout. Where fixed 
 to the body, the fin is elliptical, its longest axis 
 lying longitudinally, so that when the fin is elevated 
 to the swimming position, it is horizontal, the point 
 or tip is bent upwards or towards the back, conse- 
 quently, when the fin is in the swimming position, it 
 is concave above, and convex below, the thick edge 
 forward and the thin edge towards the tail. The 
 fin being horizontal, is evidently designed to bal- 
 ance the animal, while the tail, which is from fifteen 
 to twenty inches long, and three or four feet broad, 
 is the chief organ of motion, and is also used in 
 turning. That the fins are not commonly used 
 either for swimming or turning, appears probable 
 from repeated observations made with a teleseope 
 from the mast head. The fins were always seen, 
 steadily extended, and when the animal changed 
 its direction, the tail was bent suddenly and oblique- 
 ly to one side, and then slowly brought back, so 
 that the progressive motion and change of direction 
 were produced by the same effort; the fin at the 
 same time remaining motionless. 
 
 The general colour of the young narwal is black- 
 ^ ish gray on the back, variegated with numerous 
 darker spots running into each other and forming a 
 dusky black surface, paler and more open spots of 
 gray on a white ground at the sides, disappearing 
 altogether about the middle of the belly. In the 
 
THE NAIIWAL. 
 
 87 
 
 elder animals, the ground is wholly white, or yel- 
 lowish wliite, with dark gray or blackish spots of 
 ditferent degrees of intensity. These spots are of 
 a roundish or oblong form: on the back, where they 
 seldom exceed two inches in diameter, they are the 
 darkest and most crowded together, yet with intervals 
 of pure white among them. On the sides, the spots 
 are fainter, smaller and more open. On the belly 
 they are extremely faint and few, and being in con- 
 siderable surfaces, are not distinguishable. A close 
 patch of brownish black, without any white, is often 
 found on the upper part of the neck, just behind the 
 blowhole: the external part of the fins is also gene- 
 rally black at the edges, but grayish about the mid- 
 dle. The superior side of the tail is also blackish 
 around the edges: but in the middle, gray with black 
 curvilinear streaks, on a white ground, forming 
 semicircular figures on each lobe. The inferior sur- 
 faces of the fins and tail are similar to the upper, 
 only much paler coloured, the middle of the fins 
 being white, and of tlie tail a pale gray. The 
 sucker narwals are almost uniformly of a bluish 
 gray or slate colour. Very old individuals be- 
 come almost white. 
 
 The skin of the narwal, resembles that of the 
 whale, except that it is thinner. The cuticle is 
 about as thick as writing paper; the rete mueosum 
 three eighths or three tenths of an inch thick; the 
 cutis thin, but strong and compact on the outer side. 
 
88 
 
 THE NARWAL, 
 
 We may next consider the most remarkable pe- 
 culiarity which distinguishes this animal; the long 
 spiral tooth or tusk, which has obtained for it the 
 name of Unicorn. This tusk grows from the left 
 side of the head, and is sometimes nine or ten feet 
 long. Egede, in his description of Greenland, de- 
 scribes this tusk as being fourteen or fifteen feet 
 long. It projects from the inferior part of the up- 
 per jaw, and points forward and slightly down- 
 ward, being parallel in direction to the roof of the 
 mouth. It is spirally striated from right to left, 
 nearly straight, and tapers to a round blunt point. 
 It is of a yellowish white colour, and consists of a 
 compact kind of ivory, and is usually hollow from 
 the base to within a few inches of the point. A 
 tusk of the average length, five feet, is about two inch- 
 es and a half in diameter at the base; one inch and 
 three fourths in the middle, and about three eighths 
 within an inch of the end. In such a tusk there 
 are five or six turns of the spiral, extending from 
 the base to within six or seven inches of the point. 
 Beyond this, the end is not striated, but smooth, 
 clean, and white; the striated part is usually gray 
 and dirty. The tusk is commonly covered with a 
 greasy blackish brown incrustation over the great- 
 est part of its surface; the under part and a few 
 inches of the point, are kept quite clear and polish- 
 ed by some use which prevents the adherence of 
 the matter just mentioned. A horn externally of 
 seven feet in length, is bedded about fifteen or 
 
THE >fARWAL. 
 
 89 
 
 sixteen inches in the skull. All the male narwals^ 
 killed by Scoresby, excepting one, had tusks of from 
 three to seven feet in length, projecting from the left 
 side of the head. 
 
 In addition to this external tusk, peculiar to the 
 male,* there is another on the right side of the head 
 about nine inches long, imbedded in the skull. In 
 females as well as in young males, in which the 
 tooth does not appear externally, the rudiments of 
 two tusks are generally found in the upper jaw. 
 Tliese are entirely solid, and are placed back in 
 the substance of the skull, about six inches from its 
 most prominent part. These rudiments of tusks 
 are eiglit or nine inches long, both in the male and 
 female; in the former they are smooth, tapering, and 
 terminate at the root wdth an oblique truncation; in 
 the latter they have an extremely rough surface, and 
 finish at the base with a large irregular knob plac- 
 ed towards one side, which gives tlie tusks some- 
 thing of the form of pocket-pistols. Two or three 
 instances have occurred of male narwals having 
 
 * Scoresby, in his Greenland voyage, killed a female nar* 
 wal, having an external horn, four feet three inches longj 
 twelve inches of which were imbedded in the skull. It had 
 also a milk tusk, as is usual, nine Inches long, which was of 
 a conical form and obliquely truncated at the thicker end, 
 and without the knob found in many of the milk tusks. The 
 horn was on the left side of the head, and the spiral was 
 dexlrorsai. 
 
 VoL. III. 
 
90 
 
 THE NARWAL. 
 
 been taken, which had two external tusks. This 
 is a rare circumstance, and it rarely or never occurs 
 that an external horn is found on the right side. 
 
 What purpose this singular and formidal)le tusk 
 can serve, is not easily to be determined. It is not 
 essential to the defence of the animal, or else the 
 young and a vast majority of the females would be 
 left unprotected. It has been suggested, that it is 
 employed by the animal in piercing thin ice for the 
 convenience of rising to respire, and that it is oc- 
 casionally employed in killing prey. But nothing 
 has yet been observed, sufficient to enable us to 
 draw any positive conclusion on the subject. 
 
 The food of the narwal appears to be principally 
 molluscous animals, such as the cuttle-fish &c., but 
 judging by the materials occasionally found in their 
 stomachs, more substantial food is frequently de- 
 voured by them. In the stomach of one examined 
 by Scoresby, besides the beaks and other remains 
 of cuttle-fish, there was part of the spine of a jpleu- 
 ronectes, or fiat-fish, probably a small turbot; frag- 
 ments of the spine of a gadus; the backbone of a 
 raia, with nearly a whole skate, raia-halis, which 
 was two feet three inches long, and one foot eight 
 inches broad. That an animal having no teeth ex- 
 cept the external tusk, a small mouth, and a tongue 
 incapable of protrusion, should be able to swallow 
 a fish nearly three times as great as the width of 
 its own mouth, is really surprising. Scoresby in- 
 clines to the opinion, tliat the skates had been 
 
THE NAIIWAL. 
 
 91 
 
 pierced with the horn, and killed before they were 
 swallowed by the narwal, as it is otherwise very 
 diflBcult to conceive how an animal so large as the 
 skate, would allow itself to be sucked down the 
 throat of a smooth-mouthed animal, having no 
 means of crushing or detaining it. 
 
 The narwal is a harmless animal, of an active 
 disposition, and swims with considerable swiftness. 
 When at the surface, for the sake of respiring, these 
 animals frequently lie motionless for several mi- 
 nutes, with their beads and backs just appearing 
 above water. Occasionally, numerous small herds 
 are seen together, each herd generally consisting of 
 individuals of the same sex. 
 
 The narwal is sometimes shot wuth a rifle, kept 
 for that purpose in the crow’s-nest of the w^haling- 
 ships. When harpooned, the narwal dives as 
 swiftly, but not so deeply as the common whale. It 
 commonly descends about two hundred fathoms, 
 and then returns to the surface, where it is soon 
 killed with lances. 
 
 The whole body of the narwal is covered by a 
 layer of blubber immediately beneath the skin, 
 which is from two to three inches thick, and yields 
 a considerable quantity of fine oil. The Green- 
 landers and Esquimaux employ the whole animal to 
 various uses. The flesh is eaten, the oil burned 
 in their lamps, the intestines wrought into lines and 
 dresses, and the tusks are used for spears &c. It 
 
93 
 
 THE NARWAL. 
 
 is said that the king of Denmark has a magnificent 
 and valuable throne made entirely of narwal tusks. 
 
 The following are the dimensions of a male nar- 
 wal, killed by Scoresby near Spitzbergen in I8I7. 
 
 Feet Inches. 
 
 Length, exclusive of the tusk, - - - 15 0 
 
 from the snout to the eyes, - - 1 
 
 fins, - - 3 1 
 
 backridge, 6 0 
 
 vent, - 9 9 
 
 Circumference 4| inches from snout, - 3 5 
 
 at the eyes and blowhole, 5 3§ 
 
 just before the fins, - - 7 5 
 
 at the forepart of backridge, 8 5 
 
 at the vent 5 8 
 
 Tusk, length externally, 5 Of 
 
 diameter at base, - - - 0 
 
 Blowhole length li inch, breadth, - - 0 3|; 
 
 Tail do 14 do - - - 3 Of 
 
 Fins do 13 do . _ . 0 7§ 
 
 Heart weighed 11 pounds. Temperature of the 
 blood an hour after death, 97°. 
 
 A fine specimen of the tusk or horn of the nar- 
 wal may be seen in the Philadelphia Museum. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 Section II . — ^Size nf the head disprojiortioned to 
 that of the body. 
 
 Genus Cachalot; Physeter: L. 
 
 GENERIC CHARACTERS. 
 
 Tlie head in these animals is of huge size, form- 
 ing a third, or even half of their entire length. 
 The upper is broad, high, destitute of corneous 
 fringes and teeth, or having short teeth, almost en- 
 tirely concealed within the gums. The lower jaw 
 is elongated, narrow, and armed with thick conical 
 teeth, which fit into corresponding depressions in 
 the upper jaw. Tlie spiracles are placed at or near 
 the extremity of the superior part of the snout. 
 There is a dorsal fin in some species, in others mere- 
 ly an eminence. In the superior parts of the head 
 there are large cavities, circumscribed by cartilagi- 
 nous partitions, and communicating with difterent 
 parts of the body by particular canals. These are 
 filled with an oil that becomes fixed and crystallized 
 on cooling, and is the well known substance sper- 
 maceti. 
 
 The teeth are ovoid and recurved; externally they 
 somewhat resemble ivory, internally they are softer, 
 and ash coloured. They are commonly about six 
 
91 
 
 THE SPERMACETI CACHALOT. 
 
 inches long, and three in circumference at the base, 
 and are thought to become larger and more recurv- 
 ed as the animal grows. The upper jaw has as 
 many alveolar depressions as there are teeth in the. 
 lower, but what is most remarkable, is, that in the 
 interstices separating these depressions, are to he 
 found about twenty small teeth, horizontally placed, 
 and raised about one-twentieth of an inch above the 
 gum. These teeth are acutely pointed, and present 
 a flat, even, and oblique surface, filling the intervals 
 separating the alveoles. This oblique surface is all 
 that is seen of them, the other parts of these teeth 
 being imbedded in the gum.*- 
 
 Species I. — The Spermaceti Cachalot. 
 
 Physeter Macrocephalus. 
 
 Le Grand Cachalot; Bostnat. Cetol. 12. 
 
 Cachalot Macroc^phalc; Desm. Mam. 524, p. 790. 
 
 Cachalot MacrocSphale, Lacep. Hist. Nat. des Cetac6s, pi. 10. 
 
 The spermaceti cachalot is found in greatest 
 abundance in the Pacific Ocean, where large num- 
 bers of them are annually killed by the American 
 and other whalers, for the sake of their oil and sper- 
 maceti. 
 
 The spermaceti cachalot is gregarious, and herds 
 
 • See Desmarest’s Manunalogie; Bonnaterre Cetologie; 
 Sibbald Phalainologia nova. 
 
THE SPERMACETI CACHALOT. 95 
 
 are frequently seen containing two hundred or more 
 individuals. Such herds, with the exception of two 
 or three old males, are composed of females, who 
 appear to be under the direction of the males. The 
 males are distinguished by the whalers as bullsj the 
 females they call cows. The bulls attack with great 
 violence, and inflict dreadful injuries upon other 
 males of the species, which attempt to join their herd. 
 These animals live separately, while young, accord- 
 ing to their age and sex. The young and half 
 grown males are found by themselves; the old coics 
 protect the young females. When the young bulls 
 attain sufficient strength, they venture into a herd 
 under the protection of some old bulls, an intrusion 
 that is said to produce a severe contest, by which 
 they succeed in gaining admittance to, or are driven 
 from the herd. 
 
 The mode of attacking these animals is as fol- 
 lows: — Whenever a number of them are seen, 
 four boats, each provided with two or three lines, 
 two harpoons, four lances and a crew of six men, 
 proceed in pursuit, and, if possible, each boat strikes 
 or “ fastens to” a distinct animal, and each crew 
 kill their own. When engaged in distant pursuit, the 
 harpooner generally steers the boat, and in such 
 cases the proper boat steerer occasionally strikes, 
 but the harpooner mostly kills it. If one cacha- 
 lot of a herd is struck, it commonly takes the lead 
 and is followed by the rest. The one which is 
 struck, seldom descends far underwater, but gene- 
 
96 
 
 THE SPERMACETI CACHALOT. 
 
 rally swims off with great rapiility, stopping after a 
 short course, so that the boat can be drawn up to it 
 by the line, or be rowed sufficiently near to lance it. 
 In the agonies of deatli, the struggles of the animal 
 are truly tremendous, and the surface of the ocean 
 is lashed into foam by the motions of the fins and 
 tail. Tall jets of blood are discharged from the 
 blowholes, which show that the wounds have taken 
 mortal effect, and seeing this, the boats are kept 
 aloof, lest they should be dashed to pieces by the 
 violent efforts of the victim. 
 
 When a herd is attacked in this way, ten or 
 twelve of the number are killed; those which are 
 only wounded are rarely captured. After the ca- 
 chalot is killed, tlie boats tow it to the side of the 
 ship, and if the weather be fine, and other objects 
 of diase in view, they are again sent to the attack. 
 
 The separation of the blubber from the animal, 
 or ‘‘ flensing,’^ is sometimes done differently from 
 tlie manner used in the polar whaling. A strap of 
 blubber is cut in a spiral direction, and being raised 
 by tackles, turns the cachalot round as on an axis, 
 until nearly all the blubber is stripped off. The 
 material contained within the head, consisting of 
 spermaceti mixed with oil, being in a fluid state 
 while warm, is taken out of large cachalots in 
 buckets, while the animal remains in the water; but 
 in smaller ones, the part of the head containing the 
 spermaceti, is hoisted upon deck before the cavity is 
 opened. 
 
THE SPERMACETI CACHALOT. 97 
 
 The substances taken from the head^ congealing as 
 soon as cold, the compound is thrown in its crude state 
 into casks, and is purified at the end of the voyage 
 on shore. The oil is reduced from the blubber short- 
 ly after it is on board, in try works,” with which 
 the ships engaged in this business are always pro- 
 vided. There are two coppers in the try works, 
 placed side by side, near the fore hatch. These, 
 with their furnaces and casing of brickwork, occupy 
 a space of five or six feet in length, by eight or nine 
 in breadth, (or fore and aft — and athwart ship,) and 
 four or five feet in height. The cavity of the brick 
 arches sustaining the coppers and furnaces, forms a 
 water cistern, so that while the fire is burning, the 
 deck is secured from injury by the changing of the 
 water in the cistern twice or thrice in every watch. 
 As the oil is extracted it is thrown into coolers, 
 whence, after about twenty-four hours, it is trans- 
 ferred to casks. At first the coppers are heat- 
 ed with wood, but afterwards the cracklings or frit- 
 ters of the blubber, which still contain some oil, are 
 employed as fuel, and produce a fierce fire. About 
 three tons of oil are commonly obtained from a large 
 cachalot of this species; from one to two tons are 
 procured from a small one. A cargo, produced 
 from one hundred cachalots, may be from 150 to 200 
 tons of oil, besides the spermaceti, &c. 
 
 VoL. III. -13 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Genus — Whale; Balcena; L. 
 
 GENERIC CHARACTERS. 
 
 Whales possess no true teeth; the upper jaw 
 resembles the keel of a vessel, or the roof of a house 
 reversed. It is furnished on each side with trans- 
 verse horny layers of a peculiar substance, called 
 Baleen, which at the edges are split into long 
 slender fringes. The spiracles or blowholes are 
 separated, and placed about the middle of the su- 
 perior part of the head. Some species have a dor- 
 sal tin; others merely a prominence. 
 
 Species I . — The Whale. 
 
 Balaena Mysticetus. L. 
 
 Arirt. An. 1. c. v, HI. c. xvi- MueTtMimtr , ib. III. c. x. Xt, 
 Hist. an. v. c. iv. 
 
 Hvalfisch; Egede Greenland, 48. 
 
 La jBaleine Franche; Bonnat. C^tol. 1. 
 
 The Common or Greenland Whale; Scobesbx Arct. Regions, i. 449. 
 
 In attempting to describe a creature so gigantic 
 and surpassing in strength as the whale, we deeply 
 feel the want of expressions suitable to our pur- 
 pose, and vainly endeavour to remove this difficulty 
 
Si'u/e. 07u-tent7i oi'lm'li to o toot. 
 

 -ff»>; ;,',v> . 
 
 rf'^- ■'-■ ■ 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 99 
 
 by resorting to comparisons scarcely less inade- 
 quate, or conveying at best but vague aud unsatis- 
 factory ideas. The sublime in magnitude among 
 organized and animated beings, the whale is 
 adapted in all his attributes to the fathomless and 
 illimitable waters he is destined to inhabit: con- 
 trasted with other animals, his strength as far tran- 
 scends their greatest exertions, as the irresistible 
 hearings of the mighty deep exceed the harmless 
 rippling of a sylvan stream. It is only by successive 
 approaches and detailed examination, that we can 
 arrive at a proper conception of this animal, and, 
 therefore, the statements which are freest from at- 
 tempts to emulate by ambitious style the magnitude 
 of the subject, will lead us to the most satisfactory 
 conclusions. 
 
 Having never personally enjoyed opportunities 
 of studying the whale in his native floods, and hav- 
 ing derived all that we know in relation thereto, from 
 ScouESBY, we should deem it injustice to the reader 
 to give this account in any other language than that 
 of the original. We do this without reluctance, as 
 our object is to convey the most accurate know- 
 ledge, rather than to produce a work exclusively 
 of our own composition, and because we believe 
 that where an original observer is competent to ex- 
 press what he has seen, his remarks must have a 
 force and value far greater than can be imparted by 
 another, however great may be his command of 
 language, or his felicity of expression. All that 
 
100 
 
 THE WHALE. 
 
 follows in relation to the whale, is selected from 
 the different works of the accurate and philosophical 
 
 SCORESBY. 
 
 The Whale, 
 
 This valuable and interesting animal, generally 
 called the whale by way of eminence, is the object of 
 our most important commerce to the polar seas — is 
 productive of more oil than any other of the cetacea, 
 and being less active, slower in its motion, and more 
 timid than any other of the kind, of similar or near- 
 ly similar magnitude, is more easily captured. 
 
 Large as the size of the whale certainly is, it has 
 been much over-rated; for such is the avidity with 
 which the human mind receives communications of 
 the marvellous, and such the interest attached to those 
 researches, which describe any remote and extraordi- 
 nary production of nature, that the judgment of the 
 traveller receives a bias, which, in cases of doubt, in- 
 duces him to fix upon that extreme point in his 
 opinion, which is calculated to afford the greatest 
 surprise and interest. Hence, if he perceives an 
 animal remarkable for its minuteness, he is inclined 
 to compare it with something still more minute: if 
 remarkable for its bigness, with something fully 
 larger. When the animal inhabits an element 
 where he can not examine it, or is seen under any 
 circumstance which prevent the possibility of his 
 determining its dimensions, liis decision will cer- 
 tainly be in that extreme wliich excites the most 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 101 
 
 interest. Thus a mistake in the size of the whale 
 would .easily be made; and there is every proba- 
 bility of such an error having been committed two 
 or three centuries back, from which period some of 
 our present dimensions have been derived, when 
 we know that whales were usually viewed with 
 superstitious dread, and their magnitude and powers 
 in consequence, highly exaggerated. Besides, er- 
 rors of this kind having a tendency to increase, 
 rather than to correct one another, from the circum- 
 stance of each writer on the subject, being influenced 
 by a similar bias; the most gross and extravagant 
 results are at length obtained. Thus authors, we 
 find, of the first respectability in the present day, 
 give a length of 80 or 100 feet, or upwards, to the 
 mysticetus, and remark with unqualified assertion, 
 that when the captures were less frequent, and the 
 animals had suflBcient time to attain their full 
 growth, specimens were found of 150 to 200 feet in 
 length, or even longer; and some ancient naturalists, 
 indeed, have gone so far, as to assert that whales 
 had been seen of above 900 feet in length. 
 
 But whales in the present day are by no means 
 so bulky. Of 332 individuals, in the capture of 
 which, I have been personally concerned, no one 
 I believe exceeded 60 feet in length; and the largest 
 I ever measured, was 58 feet from one extremity 
 to the other, being one of the longest to appearance, 
 which I ever saw. An uncommon whale, which was 
 caught near Spitsbergen, about twenty years ago, 
 the whalebone of which measured almost fifteen feet, 
 
102 
 
 THE WHALE. 
 
 was not, I understand, so much as 70 feet in lengthy 
 and the longest actual measurement that I have met 
 with, or heard of, is given by Sir Charles Giesecke, 
 who informs us, that in the Spring of 1813, a whale 
 was killed at Godharn, of the length of 67 feet; these 
 however are very uncommon instances. I therefore 
 conceive that 60 feet may be considered as the size 
 of the largest animals of this species, and 65 feet in 
 length as a magnitude which very rarely occurs. 
 
 Yet I believe that whales now occur of as large 
 dimensions as at any former period, since the com- 
 mencement of the whale fishery. This point I en- 
 deavoured to prove, from various historical records, 
 in a paper, read before the Wernerian Society, on 
 the 19th day of December, 1818, and since inserted, 
 in the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, No. 1. 
 p. 83. 
 
 In this paper, I brought forward the authorities 
 of Zorgdrager, the writer of an account of the whale 
 fishery, and one of the early superintendents of the 
 Dutch northern fisheries, together with opinions or 
 remarks of Captain Anderson, Gray, Heley, and 
 others, who were among the earliest of the English 
 whalers, which satisfactorily prove, that the average 
 and largest produce of a whale in oil, was not 
 greater near two hundred years ago, than it is at 
 the present time; and to these are added the testi- 
 monies of Captain Jenkinson and Edge, as to the 
 length of the whale, which likewise corresponds 
 pretty nearly with the measurements I have my- 
 self made. 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 lOB 
 
 Jenkinson, in his voyage to Russia, performed in 
 1557j saw a number of whales, some of which, by 
 estimation, were 60 feet long, and are described as 
 being very monstrous,” Etlgc, who was one of 
 the Russia Company’s chief and earliest whale 
 fishers, having been ten years to Spitsbergen, prior 
 to the year 1635, calls the whale a sea beaste of 
 hughe bigness, about 65 foot long, and 35 foot 
 thick,” having whalebone ten or eleven feet long, 
 (a common size at present),and yielding about 100 
 hogsheads of oil; and in a descriptive plate, accom- 
 panying Captain Edge’s paper on the fishery, pub- 
 lished by Purchas in 1635, is a sketch of a whale, 
 with this remark subjoined — “ a whale is ordinari- 
 ly about 60 foot long.” 
 
 Hence, I conceive, w^e may satisfactorily conclude 
 that whales of as large size are found now, as at 
 any former period, since the Spitsbergen fishery was 
 discovered; and I may also remark, that w'here any 
 respectable authority affords actual measurement ex- 
 ceeding 70 feet, it will always be found thatthespeci- 
 men referred to, w'as not one of the mysticetus kind, 
 but of B. Physalis or the B. Musculus animals, which 
 considerably exceed in length any of the common 
 whales that I have either heard of, or met with. 
 
 When fully grown, therefore, the length of the 
 whale may be stated as varying from 50 to 65, 
 and rarely, if ever, reaching 70 feet; and its greatest 
 circumference from 30 to 40 feet. It is thickest 
 a little behind the fins, or in the middle between 
 
104 
 
 THE WHALE. 
 
 the anterior ami posterior extremes of the animal; 
 from whence it gradually tapers, in a conical 
 form, towards the tail, and slightly towards the 
 head. Its form is cylindrical from the neck to 
 within ten feet of the tail, beyond which, it be- 
 comes somewhat quadrangular, the greatest ridge 
 being upwards, or on the back, and running back- 
 ward nearly across the middle of the tail. The 
 head has somewhat of a triangular shape. The 
 under part, the arched Qutline of Avhich is given by 
 the jaw bones, is flat, and measures 16 to SO feet 
 in length, and 10 to IS feet in breadth. The lips, 
 extending 15 or SO feet in length, and five or six in 
 height, and forming the cavity of the mouth, are 
 attached to the under jaw, and rise from the jaw- 
 bones, at an angle of about 80 degrees, having the 
 appearance, when viewed in front, of the letter U. 
 The upper jaw, including the crown bone or skull, 
 is bent down at the extremity, so as to shut the front 
 and upper parts of the cavity of the mouth, and is 
 overlapped by the lips in a squamous manner at the 
 sides. 
 
 When the mouth is open, it presents a cavi- 
 ty as large as a room, and capable of containing a 
 merchant ship’s jolly boat, full of men, being six 
 or eight feet wide, ten or twelve feet high, (in front) 
 and fifteen or sixteen feet long. 
 
 The fins, two in number, are placed between one 
 third and two-fifths of the animal, from the snout, 
 and about two feet behind the angle of the mouth; 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 105 
 
 they are from seven to nine feet in length, and four 
 or five in breadth. The part by which they are 
 attached to the body is somewhat elliptical, and 
 about two feet in diameter; the side which strikes 
 the water is nearly flat. The articulation being 
 spherical, the fins are capable of motion in any 
 direction; but, from the tension of the flesh and skin 
 below, they can not be raised above the horizontal 
 position. Hence, the account given by some natu- 
 ralists, that the whale supports its young by its fin on 
 its back, must be erroneous. The fins after death are 
 always hard and stiff; but in the living animal, it is 
 presumed, from the nature of the internal structure, 
 that they are capable of considerable flexion. The 
 whale has no dorsal fin. The tail, comprising in a 
 single surface 80 or 100 square feet, is a formidable 
 instrument of motion and defence. Its length is 
 only five or six feet; but its width is from 18 to 24* 
 or 26 feet. Its position is horizontal. In its form 
 it is fiat and semilunar; indented in the middle; the 
 two lobes somewhat pointed, and turned a little 
 backward. Its motions are rapid and universal; 
 its strength immense. 
 
 The eyes are situated in the sides of the head, 
 about a foot, obliquely, above and behind the angle 
 of the mouth. They are remarkably small, in pro- 
 portion to the bulk of the animal’s bodj’’, being little 
 larger than those of an ox. The whale has no ex- 
 ternal ear; nor can any orifice for the admission of 
 sound be discovered until the skin is removed. 
 
 VoL. III. -14 
 
106 
 
 THE WHALE. 
 
 On the most elevated part of the head, about six- 
 teen feet from the anterior extremity of the jaw, are 
 situated two blow-holes, or spiracles, consisting of 
 two longitudinal apertures, six or eight inches in 
 length. These are the proper nostrils of the whale; 
 a moist vapour, mixed with mucous, is discharged 
 from them when the animal breathes; but no water 
 accompanies it, unless an expiration of the breath 
 be made under the surface. 
 
 The mouth, in place of teeth, contains two ex- 
 tensive rows of fins or whalebone, which are sus- 
 pended from the sides of the crown bone. These 
 series of fins are generally curved longitudinally, 
 although they are sometimes straight, and give an 
 arched form to the roof of the mouth. They are 
 covered immediately by the lips attached to the 
 lower jaw, and enclose the tongue between their 
 lower extremities, each series, or side of bone,’* 
 as the whale fishers term it, consists of upward of 
 300 laminse;* the longest are near the middle, from 
 whence they gradually diminish away to nothing, 
 at each extremity; fifteen feet is the greatest length 
 of the whalebone; but ten or eleven feet is the ave- 
 rage size, and thirteen feet is a magnitude seldom 
 met with. The greatest breadth, which is at the 
 gum, is ten or twelve inches. The laminse, com- 
 posing the two series of bone, are ranged side by 
 side two-thirds of an inch apart, (thickness of the 
 
 * In a very small whale the number was 316 or 320. 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 107 
 
 blade included,) and resemble a frame of saws in 
 a saw-mill, the interior edges are covered with a 
 fringe of hair, and the exterior edges of every blade, 
 excepting a few at each extremity of the series, is 
 curved and flattened down, so as to present a smooth 
 surface to the lips. In some whales a curious hol- 
 low on one side, and ridge on the other, occurs in 
 many of the central blades of whalebone, at regular 
 intervals of six or seven inches. May not this 
 irregularity, like the rings in the horn of the ox, 
 which they resemble, afford an intimation of the age 
 of the whale? if so, twice the number of running 
 feet in the longest lamina of whalebone, in the head 
 of a whale not full grown, would represent its age 
 in years. In the youngest whales, called suckers, 
 the whalebone is only a few inches long; when the 
 length reaches six feet or upwards, the whale is said 
 to be size. The colour of the whalebone is brown- 
 ish black, or bluish black. In some animals it is 
 striped longitudinally with white. When newly 
 cleaned, the surface exhibits a fine play of colour. 
 A large whale sometimes affords a ton and a half 
 of whalebone. If the ‘‘ sample blade,” that is, 
 the largest lamina in the series, weigh seven pounds, 
 the whole produce may be estimated at a ton; and 
 so on in proportion. The whalebone is inserted 
 into the crown bone, in a sort of rabbit. All the 
 blades in the same series are connected together by 
 the gum, in which the thick ends are inserted. This 
 substance (the gums) is white, fibrous, tender, and 
 
108 
 
 THE AVHALE. 
 
 tasteless; it cuts like cheese. It has the appearance 
 of the interior or kernel of the cocoa nut. The 
 tongue occupies a large portion of the cavity of the 
 mouth: and the arch formed by the Avhalebone, is ca- 
 pable of protrusion, being fixed from root to lip, to 
 the fat extending between the jaw bones. 
 
 A slight beard, consisting of a few short scattered 
 white hairs, surmounts the anterior extremity of 
 both jaws. 
 
 The throat is remarkably straight. 
 
 Two paps in the female, afford the means of 
 rearing the young. They are situated on the ab- 
 domen, one on each side of the pudendum, and are 
 two feet apart. They appear not to be capable of 
 protrusion, beyond the length of a few inches. In 
 the dead animal they are always found retracted. 
 
 The milk of a whale, resembles that of a quadru- 
 ped, in its appearance. It is said to be rich and 
 well flavoured. The vent is about six inches be- 
 hind the pudendum of the female; but in the male, 
 it is further back. 
 
 The colour of the mysticetus is velvet black, gray, 
 (composed of dots of blackish brown on a white 
 ground,) and white with a tinge of yellow. The 
 back, most of the upper jaw, and part of the lower 
 jaw, together with the fins and tail, are black. 
 The tongue, the lower part of the under jaw and 
 lips, sometimes a little of the upper jaw, at the ex- 
 tremity, and a portion of the belly are white; and 
 the eye-lids, the junction of the tail with the body, 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 109 
 
 a portion in the axillse of the fins, &e. are gray. I 
 have seen whales, that were all over piebald. The 
 older animals contain the most gray and white; 
 under size whales, are altogether of a bluish black, 
 and suckers of pale bluish or bluish gray colour. 
 
 The skin of the body is slightly furrowed, like 
 the water-lines on coarse laid paper. On the tail- 
 fins, &c. it is smooth. The cuticle, or that part of 
 the skin which can be pulled off in sheets, after it 
 has been a little dried in the air, or particularly in 
 frost, is not thicker than parchment. The rete mu- 
 cosum in adults, is about three fourths of an inch 
 in thickness over most parts of the body; in suckers 
 nearly two inches; but on the under side of the fins, 
 on the inside of the lips, and on the surface of the 
 tongue, it is much thinner. This part of the integu- 
 ments is generally of the same colour throughout its 
 thickness. The fibres, of which it is composed, are 
 perpendicular to the surface of the body: under this 
 lies the true skin, which is white and tough. As 
 it imperceptibly becomes impregnated with oil, and 
 passes gradually into the form of blubber, its real 
 thickness can not easily be stated. The most com- 
 pact part, perhaps, may be a quarter of an inch 
 thick. 
 
 Immediately beneath the skin, lies the blubber 
 or fat, encompassing the whole body of the animal, 
 together with the fins and tail. Its colour is yellow- 
 ish white, yellow or red. In the very young ani- 
 mals, it is always yellowish white. In some old 
 
1(0 
 
 THE WHALE. 
 
 aoimals it resembles in colour the substance of the 
 salmon. It swims in water. Its thickness all 
 round the body, is eight or ten or twenty inches, va- 
 rying in difl'erent parts as well as in different indi- 
 viduals. The lips are composed almost entirely of 
 blubber, and yield from one to two tons of pure oil 
 each. The tongue is chiefly composed of a soft 
 kind of fat, that affords less oil than any other blub- 
 ber; in the centre of the tongue, and towards the 
 root, the fat is intermixed with fibres of a muscular 
 substance. The under jaw, excepting the two jaw 
 bones, consists almost wholly of fat, and the crown 
 bone possesses a considerable coating of it; the fins 
 are principally blubber, tendons and bones, and the 
 tail possesses a thin stratum of blubber. The oil 
 appears to be retained in the blubber in minute cells, 
 connected together by a strong reticulated combina- 
 tion of tendinous fibres. These fibres being condens- 
 ed at the surface, appear to form the substance of 
 the skin. The oil is expelled when heated, and in 
 a great measure discharges itself out of the henkSy 
 whenever putrefaction in the fibrous parts of the 
 blubber takes place. The blubber and the whale- 
 bone are the parts of the whale, to which the atten- 
 tion of the fisher is directed. The flesh and bones, 
 excepting occasionally the jaw bone, are rejected. 
 The blubber, in its fresh state, is without any un- 
 pleasant smell, and it is not until after the termi- 
 nation of the voyage, when the cargo is unstowed, 
 that a Greenland ship becomes disagreeable. 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 1 i 1 
 
 Four tons of blubber, by measure, generally af- 
 fords three tons of oil,^ but the blubber of a sucker 
 contains a very small portion. Whales have been 
 caught that afforded nearly thirty tons of pure oil, 
 and whales yielding twenty tons of oil, are by no 
 means numerous. The quantity of oil, yielded by 
 a whale, generally bears a certain proportion to 
 the length of its longest blade of whalebone. 
 
 The average quantity is expressed in the follow- 
 ing table, t 
 
 Length of 
 whalebone 
 in feet. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 . 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 Oil yielded 
 in tons. 
 
 li 
 
 n 
 
 1 ’ 
 1 
 
 3i 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 
 8i 
 
 11 
 
 13i 
 
 17 
 
 21 
 
 Though this statement, on the average, be exceed- 
 ingly near the truth, yet exceptions sometimes oc- 
 cur. A whale of feet bone, for instance, has 
 been known to produce near ten tons of oil, and 
 another of twelve feet bone only nine tons. Such 
 instances, however, are very uncommon. 
 
 • * The ton or tun of oil, is 252 gallons, wine measurei it 
 weighs, at temperature 60°, 19331b. 12oz. 14dr. avoirdupois. 
 
 t This table is somewhat different from that given in 
 Wernerian Memoirs, (vol. 1. p. 582,) an increased number 
 of observations having enabled me to improve it. 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 A stout whale of sixty feet in length, is of the 
 enormous weight of seventy tons; the blubber weighs 
 about thirty tons, the hones of the head, whalebone, 
 fins, and tail, eight or ten; carcass thirty or thirty-two. 
 
 The flesh of the young whale is of a red colour; 
 and Avhen cleared of fat, broiled and seasoned with 
 pepper and salt, does not eat unlike coarse beef; 
 that of the old whale, approaches to black, and is 
 exceedingly coarse. An immense bed of muscles, 
 surrounding the body, is appropriated chiefly to 
 the movements of the tail. The tail consists princi- 
 pally of two reticulated beds of sinewy fibres, com- 
 pactly interwoven, and containing very little oil. In 
 the central bed, the fibres run in all directions; in 
 the other, which encompasses the central one in a 
 thinner stratum, they are arranged in regular order. 
 These substances are extensively used, particularly 
 in Holland, in the manufacture of glue. 
 
 Most of the hones of the whale are very po- 
 rous, and contain large quantities of fine oil. The 
 jaw bones, which measure twenty to twenty-five 
 feet in length, are often taken care of, princi- 
 pally on account of the oil that drains out of them, 
 when they come into a warm climate. When ex- 
 hausted of oil, they readily swim in water. The ex- 
 ternal surface of the most porous hones is compact 
 and hard; the ribs are pretty nearly solid; but the 
 crown bone is almost as much honey-combed as the 
 jaw bones. The number of ribs, according to Sir 
 Charles Giesecke, is thirteen on each side. The 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 113 
 
 bones of the fins are analogous, both in proportion 
 and number to those of the fingers of the human 
 hand. From this peculiarity of structure, the fins 
 have been denominated by Dr. Fleming, swim- 
 ming paws.’^ The posterior extremity of the whale, 
 however, is a real tail; the termination of the spine, 
 or os coccygis, running through the middle of it, al- 
 most to the edge. 
 
 As the whale is flensed while afloat, with nearly 
 the whole of the carcass under water, few opportu- 
 nities of examining its anatomical structure occur. 
 The smallest animals of the species, mere cubs or 
 
 suckers,” may indeed be hoisted on deck; and it 
 is in such cases only that I have had a chance of 
 inspecting them entirely out of the water. One of 
 these having been taken, the head was hoisted 
 aboard in a mass, and the body, when stripped of the 
 fat, was so small as to be quite within the power of 
 the tackles. Some new facts, respecting the anatomy 
 of the whale, arose out of the investigation of this, 
 and another of the species, killed in the summer of 
 1821, which I shall attempt to describe. The follow- 
 ing measurements and weight, it must be observed, 
 all refer to a sucking W'hale, that at the time of cap- 
 ture, was under maternal protection, but the other 
 details in general may be considered as applying to 
 the whole species of the Balsena Mysticetus. 
 
 This whale, though a sucker,” was nineteen 
 feet in length, and fourteen feet five inches in cir- 
 cumference, at the thickest part of the body. The 
 
 VoL. III.^ =15 
 
114 
 
 THE WHALE. 
 
 external skin, consisting of cuticle and rete mucosum, 
 was on the body an inch and three quarters thick, 
 being about twice the thickness of the same mem- 
 branes in a full grown animal. The blubber, on an 
 average, was five inches in thickness. The largest 
 of the whalebone measured only twelve inches; 
 about one half of which was imbedded in the gum. 
 The external part of these fringes, not exceeding six 
 inches in length, did not seem sufficient to enable the 
 little whale yet to catch, by filtration out of the sea, 
 the shrimps and other insects on which the animal, 
 in a more advanced stage, is dependent for its nourish- 
 ment: maternal assistance and protection, therefore, 
 appeared to have been essential for its support. 
 The muscles about the neck, appropriated to the 
 movements of the jaws, formed a bed, if extended, of 
 nearly five feet broad, and a foot thick. The cen- 
 tral part of the diaphragm was two inches in thick- 
 ness. The two principal arteries in the neck (the 
 carotid,) were so large as to admit a man’s hand and 
 arm. 
 
 The brain lies in a small cavity in the upper and 
 back part of the skull. The cavity included with- 
 in the jpia mater, exclusive of the foramen magnum, 
 measured only eight inches by five. The upper part 
 of the brain lies very near the surface of the skull. 
 The convolutions of the cortical substance lie in 
 beautiful fringed folds, attached to the medullary 
 portion, which is white, as in the human brain. The 
 general appearance of the brain is not unlike that of ' 
 the other mammalia, but its smallness is remarka- 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 115 
 
 hie. The quantity of brain in a human subject of 
 140 or 160 pounds weight, is, according to Haller, 
 4 pounds; in this whale, of 11,200 pounds, or se- 
 venty times the weight of a man, the brain was 
 only 3 pounds 12 ounces. According to Cuvier, the 
 brain in man varies from one thirty-first to one 
 twenty-second part of his weight;^ whereas, in 
 this animal, the proportion of brain was only a three 
 thousandth part. 
 
 The heart, which is of an oblong form, much com- 
 pressed, resembles in colour and substance, the 
 heart of an ox. The breadth of it, in this specimen, 
 was 29 inches, the height 12, the thickness 9? and 
 the weight of it 641bs. Diameter of the aorta about 
 6 inches. 
 
 Large as the whale is in bulk, the throat is but 
 narrow. In this animal the diameter of the oesopha- 
 gus, when fully distended, was scarcely 2| inches, 
 with difficulty admitting my hand. 
 
 The epiglottis is a beautiful valve, formed almost 
 like the termination of the proboscis of an elephant. 
 Though the larynx in the whale has a free commu- 
 nication with the mouth, as in quadrupeds, yet the 
 mysticetus does not appear to have any voice. In 
 
 *Le§ons d’Anat. Comp. ii. p. 149. The proportion the 
 human brain bears to the weight of the body, appears to be, 
 on an average, less than is stated by Cuvier. According to 
 Haller, the proportion in a man of 160lb. weight is one-for- 
 tieth; in a man of 140lbs., one-thirty-fifth, in a child six 
 years old, onc-twenty-second. 
 
116 
 
 THE WHALE, 
 
 other cetacea, however, this is not always the case; 
 some of the dolphins, in particular, having been 
 heard to emit a shrill sound, which in the beluga 
 may be heard before the animal arises to the surface 
 of the water.* 
 
 The external blowholes or spiracles, were, in the 
 sucking whale, four inches in length; in the full 
 grown animal, they form two curved slits, above 
 ten inches long. In passing downward through the 
 blubber, the blowholes, which at the surface are 
 nearly longitudinal, as in the annexed figure, a, a. 
 
 twist into a semicircular and transverse position, 
 in the form of the dotted line b, b, then penetrating 
 the skull, they proceed backward and downward in 
 two conical parallel canals, until they open near 
 the back of the under part of the skull, where they 
 inosculate and form a single membranous sac, with- 
 in a few inches of the epiglottis. The first impres- 
 sion of each blowhole on the upper part of the skull, 
 is marked as in the following cut, (representing the 
 upper surface of the anterior part of the whale’s 
 skull, the skin and fat being removed,) by an ob- 
 long cavity, h, h, 
 
 * Captain Parry’s Voyage for the discovery of a North 
 West passage, p. 35. 
 
 Posterior. 
 
 Anterior. 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 117 
 
 which is tiie seat of a muscular substance attached 
 by its anterior extremity to the surface of the skull, 
 and also attached, by its posterior and inferior ex- 
 tremity, to the interior of the skull, at some depth 
 in the blowing canal, a, a. The part of this mus- 
 cle that penetrates the bony canal, is of a conical 
 form, the apex downward, or within, represented at 
 h, in the annexed figure of a vertical section of the 
 skull; 
 
 <?■ 
 
 Anterior portion. 
 
 SO that, when this interior portion contracts, the 
 muscular cone b, is drawn tight into the orifice, and 
 completely closes the breathing canal a, a; while, 
 on the other hand, the actioii of the external part of 
 the muscle draws the conical plug forward and up- 
 ward, and affords a free passage for the air in respi- 
 ration. This beautiful structure it is, (aided, per- 
 haps, by the epiglottis,) that enables the animal. 
 
118 
 
 THE WHALE. 
 
 Hiuler the immense pressure to which it is sometimes 
 exposed, to exclude the sea-water from its lungs. 
 This pressure, under some depths to which the 
 whale is known to descend, is upwards of a ton upon 
 every square inch; yet, so far from the water being 
 forced down the spiracles, the enormous.load serves 
 only more effectually to press down, and close the 
 valves that defend the passages to the lungs. 
 
 The whale has no external ear, and the opening 
 of the passage to this organ is so small as not to be 
 easily discovered. In the sucking whale, it was 
 only one- sixth of an inch in diameter. An elegant 
 contrivance appears in the meatus auditorius exter- 
 nusfor protecting the ear against pressure from with- 
 out. It consists of a little plug, like the end of the 
 finger, inserted into a corresponding cavity, in the 
 midst of the canal, by a slight motion of which the 
 opening can either be effectually shut for the exclu- 
 sion of the sea-water, or opened for the admission 
 of sound. 
 
 In the sucking whale, the skull or crown bone 
 was six feet in length, from the anterior extremity 
 to the condyles. In a full grown animal, in which 
 the whalebone was ten feet four inches, the length 
 of the skull, measured along the upper and convex 
 side of the curve, was twenty feet eight inches, the ' 
 cavity on the crown of the same, occupied by the 
 muscular valve of the blow-holes, was 14 inches 
 wide, and SI inches long. 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 119 
 
 The whale being very nearly of the same specific 
 gravity as sea- water, (some few individuals sinking, 
 and others barely floating when dead) the weight 
 may be calculated with considerable precision. 
 The body of the whale may be divided into three 
 segments, forming tolerably regular geometric solids. 
 First; the head a parabolic conoid, which in the 
 sucking- whale is four feet in diameter, and five and 
 a half feet in height; its solid contents about thirty- 
 four and a half cubic feet. Secondly; the middle 
 segment, extending from the head to the thickest 
 part of the body: this is a frustum of a cone in the 
 sucking-whale, three feet in length, and four to 
 five feet in diameter, producing a solid content of 
 forty-eight cubic feet. Thirdly; the posterior seg- 
 ment, extending from the greatest circumference^ to 
 the tail: this segment is a paraboloid or parabolic 
 conoid, with its smaller end truncated. Its length 
 in the sucking-whale is eight feet; its diameters one 
 and five feet; and its solid contents eighty-one and a 
 half cubic feet. And to these products may be add- 
 ed about ten cubic feet, the estimated bulk of the 
 fins and tail, which make an amount of 174' cubic 
 feet; this sum, divided by 35, the number of cubic 
 feet of sea-water in the Greenland ocean, in a ton 
 weight, gives the weight of the animal five tons 
 within a cubic foot. 
 
 One of the largest mysticete, of sixty feet in 
 length, the head twenty feet in length, by twelve 
 feet in diameter, the middle section six feet by thir- 
 
120 
 
 THE WHALE. 
 
 teen diameter, the third section twenty-six feet in 
 length, by twelve and two feet diameter, will appear 
 (if calculated the same way with an allowance of 
 five tons for the fins and tail) to be of the pro- 
 digious weight of lldi tons! But as the last sec- 
 tion is somewhat more slender than the body to 
 which it is referred, this calculation may be a little 
 in excess. 
 
 The largest animals of this species may, however, 
 I conceive, be safely stated at a hundred tons in 
 weight; and an ordinary full grown animal at se- 
 venty tons. 
 
 The most useful and ennobling view of natural 
 history is, unquestionably, that which gives us the 
 most exalted conceptions of the wisdom, power, and 
 goodness of the Creator. And the branch of this 
 science, that is in the highest degree calculated to 
 assist us in tracing ^^the works of Nature up to 
 Nature’s God,” is probably the physiology of ani- 
 mals. In every genus of animals we discover pe- 
 culiar marks of adaptation for their economy or 
 mode of life, and an endless variety of inimitable 
 contrivances for accomplishing this adaptation. 
 
 The whale, which is a mammiferous animal, and 
 closely allied, in its anatomical structure to the 
 class of quadrupeds, affords, in the modification of 
 the parts and principles of land animals, for apply- 
 ing them to a tribe inhabiting the sea, a great num- 
 ber of those striking displays of wisdom and power, 
 the very contemplation of which is calculated to 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 121 
 
 elevate in no inconsiderable degree, our concep- 
 tions of the Great Supreme. The raysticetus feeds 
 on the smallest insects; its capacious mouth, with 
 the vast fringes of whalebone, which is a most ad- 
 mirable filter, enables it to receive some tons of 
 water at a mouthful, and to separate every substance 
 from it, of the size of a pin’s head and upwards. 
 The pliysalis feeds on herrings, mackarel and other 
 fishes of a similar kind; its whalebone therefore is 
 shorter, stronger, and less compact than that of the 
 mysticetus, and the filter formed by it less perfect. 
 
 As the whale must rise to the surface of the sea 
 to breathe, its tail is placed horizontally, to enable 
 it to ascend and descend more quickly; and its nos- 
 trils, or blowholes, instead of being placed at the 
 snout, are generally on the most elevated part of 
 the head, that they may be readily lifted clear of 
 the water. 
 
 When the whale descends to the depths of the 
 ocean, it becomes exposed to an enormous pressure 
 from the superincumbent water. This pressure is 
 sufficient to force the water through the pores of the 
 hardest wood; yet it is effectually resisted by the 
 skin of the whale, though it is remarkably soft and 
 flexible. To exclude the water from the lungs, 
 which would occasion suffocation if admitted, the 
 blowholes are defended by the peculiar valves that 
 have been already described. 
 
 The variety discovered in the structure of whales, 
 is by no means one of the least interesting parts of 
 
 VoL. 
 
122 
 
 THE WHALE. 
 
 their physiology. In other classes of animals, 
 whose habits are similar, we often find, that each 
 organ is the same as the corresponding one, in al- 
 most all the species of the same genus, or even of 
 the same order; excepting when their peculiar 
 habits, or necessities, require a modification of the 
 general structure or principle. But in whales, as 
 if it were intended not only to exhibit the match- 
 less wisdom of the Creator, but, to show that his 
 resources are unlimited, the structure of the breath- 
 ing canals is varied in the different genera of ce- 
 
 Vf 
 
 taceous animals, and a number of contrivances alike 
 extraordinary, equally beautiful, and equally efli» 
 cient, are adapted for performing the same office. 
 
THE WHALK 
 
 123 
 
 
 
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 The whale seems dull of hearing. A noise in 
 the air, such as that produced by a person shouting, 
 is not noticed by it, though at the distance only of 
 a ship’s length; but a very slight splashing in the 
 water in calm weather excites its attention, and 
 alarms it. 
 
124 
 
 THE WHALE. 
 
 Its sense of seeing is acute, whales are observed 
 to discover one another in clear water, when under 
 the surface, at an amazing distance. When at the 
 surface, however, they do not see far. 
 
 They have no voice; but in breathing or blowing, 
 they make a very loud noise. The vapour they 
 discharge is ejected to the height of some yards, 
 and appears at a distance, like a puff of smoke. 
 When the animals are wounded, it is often stained 
 with blood; and, on the approach of death, jets of 
 blood are sometimes discharged alone. They blow 
 strongest, densest, and loudest, when running.” 
 When in a state of alarm, or w'hen they first ap- 
 pear at the surface, after being a long time down, 
 they respire or blow about four or five times a 
 minute. 
 
 The whale being somewhat lighter than the me- 
 dium in which it swims, can remain at the surface 
 of the sea, with its crown,” in which the blow- 
 holes are situated, and a considerable extent of the 
 back, above water, without any effort or motion. 
 To descend, however, requires an exertion. The 
 proportion of the whale that appears above water, 
 when alive, or when recently killed, is probably 
 not a twentieth part of the animal; but within a day 
 after death, when the process of putrefaction com- 
 mences, the whale swells to an enormous size, until 
 at least a third of the carcass appears above water, 
 and sometimes the body is burst by the force of air 
 generated within. 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 125 
 
 By means of the tail principally, the whale ad- 
 vances through the water. The greatest velocity 
 is produced by powerful strokes against the water, 
 impressed alternately upward and downward; but a 
 slower motion, it is believed, is elegantly produced, 
 by cutting the water laterally and obliquely down- 
 ward, in a manner similar to that in which a boat is 
 forced along, with a single oar, by the operation of 
 skulling. The fins are generally stretched out in an 
 horizontal position; their chief application seems to 
 be, the balancing of the animal, as the moment life is 
 extinct, it alw^ays falls over on its side, or turns upon 
 its back. They appear also to be used in bearing 
 off their young, in turning, and giving a direction 
 to the velocity produced by the tail. 
 
 Bulky as the whale is, and inactive, or indeed 
 clumsy as it appears to be, one might imagine that 
 all its motions w’ould be sluggish, and its greatest 
 exertions productive of but little celerity. The fact, 
 however, is the reverse. A whale extended mo- 
 tionless at the surface of the sea, can sink in the 
 space of five or six seconds or less, beyond the 
 reach of its human enemies. Its velocity along the 
 surface, or perpendicularly, or obliquely down- 
 ward, is the same. I have observed a whale de- 
 scending after I had harpooned it, to the depth of 
 400 fathoms, with the average velocity of seven or 
 eight miles per hour. The usual rate at which 
 whales swim, however, even when they are on 
 their passage from one situation to another, seldom 
 
13G 
 
 THK WHALE. 
 
 exceeds four miles an hour; and though, when urged 
 by the sight of any enemy, or alarmed by the stroke 
 of a harpoon, their extreme velocity may be at the 
 rate of eight or nine miles an hour; yet we find this 
 speed never continues longer than for a few min- 
 utes, before it relaxes to almost one half; hence, for 
 the space of a few minutes, they are capable of 
 darting through the water, with the velocity almost 
 of the fastest ship under sail, and of ascending 
 with such rapidity as to leap entirely out of the 
 water. This feat they sometimes perform as an 
 amusement apparently, to the high admiration of 
 the distant spectators; but to the no small terror 
 of the inexperienced fishers, who even under such 
 circumstances, are often ordered, by the fool-hardy 
 harpooner, to pull away,” to the attack. Some- 
 times, the whales throw themselves into a per- 
 pendicular posture, with their heads downwards, 
 and rearing their tails on high in the air, heat 
 the water with awful violence. In both these 
 cases, the sea is thrown into foam, and the air 
 filled with vapours: the noise in calm weather is 
 heard to a great distance; and the concentric waves, 
 produced by the concussions on the water, are com- 
 muicated abroad to a considerable extent. Some- 
 times the whale shakes its tremendous tail in the 
 air, which, cracking like a whip, resounds to the 
 distance of two or three miles. 
 
 When it retires from the surface, it first lifts its 
 head, then plunging it under water, elevates its 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 127 
 
 back, like the segment of a sphere, deliberately 
 rounds it away towards the extremity, throws its 
 tail out of the water, and then disappears. 
 
 In their usual conduct, whales remain at the sur- 
 face to breathe, about two minutes, seldom longer; 
 during which time, they blow” eight or nine 
 times, and then descend for an interval usually of 
 five or ten minutes, but sometimes, when feed- 
 ing, fifteen or twenty. The depth to which they 
 commonly descend, is not known, though, from the 
 eddy occasionally observed on the water, it is evi- 
 dently at times, only trifling. But when struck, the 
 quantity of line they sometimes take out of the boats, 
 in a perpendicular descent, affords a good measure 
 of the depth. By this rule, they have been known 
 to descend to the depth of an English mile, and with 
 such velocity, that instances have occurred, in which 
 whales have been drawn up by the line attached, 
 from a depth of 700 or 800 fathoms, and have been 
 found to have broken their jaw-bones, and some- 
 times crown-bone, by the blow struck against the 
 bottom. Some persons are of opinion, that whales 
 can remain under a field of ice, or at the bottom of 
 the sea in shallow w^ater, when undisturbed, for 
 many hours at a time. Whales are seldom found 
 sleeping, yet, in calm weather, among ice, instances 
 occasionally occur. 
 
 The food of the whale consists of various species 
 of actinise, cliones, sepise, medusae^ caneri, and 
 
128 
 
 THE WHALE. 
 
 helices, or, at least, some of these genera are al- 
 ways to be seen, wherever any tribe of whales is 
 found stationary and feeding. In the dead animals, 
 however, in the very few instances, in which I have 
 been enabled to open their stomachs, squillse or 
 shrimps, were the only substances discovered. In 
 the mouth of a whale just killed, I once found a 
 quantity of the same kind of insect. 
 
 When the whale feeds, it swims with considera- 
 ble velocity below the surface of the sea, with its 
 jaws widely extended. A stream of water conse- 
 quently enters its capacious mouth, and along with 
 it large quantities of water insects; the water escapes 
 again at the sides; but the food is entangled and 
 sifted, as it were, by the whalebone, which, from 
 its compact arrangement, and the thick internal 
 covering of hair, does not allow a particle the size 
 of the smallest grain to escape. 
 
 There does not seem to be suflScient dissimilarity 
 in the form and appearance of the mysticete found 
 in the polar seas, to entitle them to a division into 
 other species; yet such is the diiference observed in 
 the proportions of these animals, that they may be 
 well considered as sub-species or varieties. In 
 some of the mysticete, the head measures four tenths 
 of the whole length of the animal; in others, scarce- 
 ly three tenths; in some the circumference is up- 
 wards of seven tenths of the length, in others less 
 than six tenths, or tittle more than one half. 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 129 
 
 The sexual intercourse of whales, is often ob- 
 served about the latter end of summer; and females, 
 with cubs or suckers along with them, being most 
 commonly met with in the spring of the year, the 
 time of their bringing forth, it is presumed, is in 
 February or March; and their period of gestation 
 about nine or ten months. In the latter end of 
 April, 1811 , a sucker was taken by a Hull whaler, 
 to which the funis umbilicalis was still attached. 
 The whale has one young at a birth. Instances of 
 two being seen with a female are very rare. Tiie 
 young .one, at the time of parturition, is said to be 
 at least ten, if not fourteen feet in length. It goes un- 
 der the protection of its mother for probably a year, 
 or more; or until, by the evolution of the whalebone, 
 it is enabled to procure its own nourishment. Sup- 
 posing the criterion before mentioned, of the notches 
 in the whalebone being indicative of the number of 
 years growth, to be correct, then it would appear 
 that the whale reaches the magnitude called size, 
 that is, with a six feet length of whalebone, in 
 twelve years, and attains its full growth at the age 
 of twenty or twenty -five. Whales, doubtless, live 
 to a great age. The marks of age are, increase in 
 the quantity of gray colour in the skin, and a 
 change to a yellowish tinge of the white parts about 
 the head; a decrease in the quantity of oil yielded 
 by a certain weight of blubber; an increase of hard- 
 ness in the blubber, and in the thickness and strength 
 VoL. III. 17 
 
130 
 
 THE WHALE. 
 
 of the ligamentous fibres of which it is partly com- 
 posed. 
 
 The maternal affection of the whale, which, in 
 other respects, is apparently a stupid animal, is strik- 
 ing and interesting, the cub, being insensible to dan- 
 ger, is easily harpooned; when the tender attachment 
 of the mother is so manifested as not unfrequently to 
 bring her within the reach of the whalers. Hence, 
 though a cub is of little value, seldom producing 
 above a ton of oil, and often less, yet il is sometimes 
 struck as a snare for its mother. In this case she 
 joins it at the surface of the water, whenever it has 
 occasion to rise for respiration; encourages it to 
 swim off; assists its flight, by taking it under her 
 fin, and seldom deserts it while life remains. She 
 is then dangerous to approach; but affords frequent 
 opportunities for attack. She loses all regard for 
 her own safety, in anxiety for the preservation of 
 her young; dashes through the midst of her ene- 
 mies; despises the danger that threatens her; and 
 even voluntarily remains with her ofispring, after 
 various attacks on herself, from the harpoons of the 
 fishers. In June, 1811 , one of my harpooners 
 struck a sucker, with the hope of its leading to the 
 capture of the mother. Presently she arose close 
 by the fast boat,” and seizing the young one, 
 dragged about a hundred fathoms of line with re- 
 markable force and velocity. Again she arose to 
 the surfiice; darted furiously to and fi‘o; frequently 
 
THE WHAI.E. 
 
 131 
 
 stopped short, or suddenly changed her direction, 
 and gave every possible intimation of extreme agony. 
 For a length of time she continued thus to act, 
 though closely pursued by the boats; and, inspired 
 with courage and resolution by the concern for her 
 offspring, seemed regardless of the danger which sur- 
 rounded her. At length one of the boats approached 
 so near that a harpoon was hove at her. It hit, but 
 did not attach itself. A second harpoon was struck; 
 this also failed to penetrate; but a third was more 
 effectual, and held. Still she did not attempt to 
 escape; but allowed other boats to approach; so 
 that, in a few minutes, three more harpoons were 
 fastened; and, in the course of an hour afterwards, 
 she was killed. 
 
 There is something extremely painful in the de- 
 struction of a whale, when thus evincing a degree 
 of affectionate regard for its offspring, that would do 
 honour to the superior intelligence of human beings; 
 yet the object of the adventure, tlie value of the 
 prize, the joy of the capture, can not be sacrificed 
 to feelings of compassion. Whales, though often 
 found in great numbers together, can scarcely be 
 said to be gregarious; found most generally solitary, 
 or in pairs, excepting when drawn to the same spot, 
 by the attraction of an abundance of palatable food, 
 or a choice situation of the ice. 
 
 The superiority of the sexes, in point of numbers, 
 seems to be in favour of the male. Of 124 whales 
 which have been taken near Spitzbergen, in eight 
 
133 
 
 THE WHALE. 
 
 years, in ships commanded by myself, 70 were males, 
 and 54 were females, being in the proportion of five to 
 four nearly. The mysticetus occurs most abundant- 
 ly in the frozen seas of Greenland and Davis’s Strait 
 — in the bays of BaflSn and Hudson — in the sea to 
 the northward of Behring’s Strait, and along some 
 parts of the northern shores of Asia, and probably 
 America. It is never met with in the German Ocean, 
 and rarely within 200 leagues of the British coast; 
 but along tlie coasts of Africa and South America, 
 it is met with periodically in considerable numbers. 
 In these regions it is attacked and captured by the 
 Southern British and American Whalers, as well 
 as by some of the people inhabiting the coasts, to 
 the neighbourhood of which it resorts. Whether 
 this whale is precisely of the same kind as that of 
 Spitzbergen and Greenland, is uncertain, though it 
 is evidently a mysticetus. One striking difference, 
 possibly the efiect of situation and climate, is, that 
 the mysticetus found in southern regions is often co- 
 vered with barnacles, (Lepas diadema, &c.) wdiile 
 those of the Arctic seas are free from these shell- 
 fish. 
 
 It would be remarkable, if an animal like the 
 whale, which is so timid that a bird alighting upon 
 its back sometimes sets it off in great agitation and 
 terror, should be wholly devoid of enemies. Be- 
 sides man, who is doubtless its most formidable 
 adversary, it is subject t® annoyance from sharks, 
 and it is also said from the narwal, sword-fish, and 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 133 
 
 thresher. With regard to the iiarwal, I am per- 
 suaded that this opinion is incorrect, for so far from 
 its being an enemy, it is found to associate with the 
 whale in the greatest apparent harmony, and its 
 appearance, indeed, in the Greenland sea is hailed 
 by the fishers, the narwal being considered as the 
 harbinger of the whale. But the swmrd-fish and 
 thresher, (if such an animal there be) may possibly 
 be among the enemies of the whale, notwithstand- 
 ing I have never witnessed their combats; and the 
 shark is known certainly to be an enemy, thougli 
 perhaps not a very formidable one. Whales indeed 
 flee the seas where it abounds, and evince by marks 
 occasionally found on their tails, a strong evidence 
 of their havingbeenbit by the shark. A living whale 
 may be annoyed, though it can scarcely be supposed 
 to be ever overcome by the shark; but a dead whale 
 is an easy prey, and affords a fine banquet to this 
 insatiable creature. 
 
 The whale, from its vast bulk, and variety of 
 products, is of great importance in commerce, as 
 well as in the domestic economy of savage nations; 
 and its oil and whalebone are of extensive applica- 
 tion in the arts and manufactures. A description of 
 its most valuable products, and of the uses to which 
 they are applied, being included in the account of 
 the whale fishery, which follows, it will only be 
 necessary, in this place, to mention the purposes to 
 which parts and products, not now objects of com- 
 merce, arc or might be applied. 
 
134 
 
 Till':; WHAi-K. 
 
 Though to the refined palate of a modem Euro- 
 pean, the flesh of a whale, as an article of food, 
 would be received with abhorrence, yet we find 
 that it is considered by some of the inhabitants of 
 the northern shores of Europe, Asia, and America, 
 as well as those on the coasts of Hudson’s Bay, 
 and Davis’s strait, as a choice and staple article of 
 snbsistence. The Esquimaux eat the flesh and 
 fat of the whale, and drink the oil with greediness. 
 Indeed, some tribes, who are not familiarized with 
 spiritous liquors, carry along with them in their 
 canoes, in their fishing excursions, bladders filled 
 with oil, whicli they use in the same way, and with 
 a similar relish, that a British sailor does a dram.'^' 
 They also eat the skin of the whale raw, both 
 adults and children; for it is not uncommon, when 
 the females visit the whale-ships, for them to help 
 themselves to pieces of skin, preferring those with 
 which a little blubber is connected, and to give it as 
 food to their infants suspended on their backs, who 
 suck it with apparent delight. 
 
 Blubber, when pickled and boiled, is said to be 
 very palatable; the tail, wheai parboiled and then 
 fried, is said to be not unsavoury, but even agreea- 
 ble eating; and the flesh of young whales, I know 
 IVom experiment, is by no means indiflerent food. 
 
 ot only is it certain that the flesh of the whale 
 is now eaten by savage nations, but it is also well 
 
 * Ellis’s voyage to Hudson’s Bay, p, 233. 
 
THE WHALE. 
 
 135 
 
 authenticated that, in the 1:3th, 13th, l4th, and 15th 
 centuries, it was used as food by the Icelanders, 
 the Netherlanders, the French, the Spanish, and 
 probably by the English. M. S. B. Noel, in a 
 tract on the whale fishery,^' informs us, that about the 
 13th century, the flesh, particularly the tongue of 
 whales, was sold in the markets of Bayonne, Ci- 
 bourre and Beariz, where it was esteemed as a great 
 delicacy, being used at the best tables; and even so 
 late as the 15th century, he conceives, from the au- 
 thority of Charles Etienne, that the principal nour- 
 ishment of tlie poor in Lent, in some districts of 
 France, consisted of the flesh and fat of the whale. 
 
 Besides forming a choice eatable, the inferior 
 products of the whale are applied to other purposes 
 by the Indian and Esquimaux of Arctic countries, 
 and with some nations are essential to their com- 
 fort, some membranes of the abdomen are used for 
 an upper article of clothing, and the peritoneum, in 
 particular, being thin and transparent, is used in- 
 stead of glass in the windows of their huts; the 
 bones are converted into ha,rpoons and spears, for 
 striking the seal, or darting at the sea-birds, and 
 are also employed in the erection of their tents, and 
 with some tribes, in the formation of their boats; the 
 sinews are divided into filaments, and used as 
 thread, Avith which they join the seams of their 
 
 ■* Memoire sur “ I’Antiquite de la Peche de la Baleine pai’ 
 les nations Europeennes.” 
 
13G 
 
 THE AVIIALE. 
 
 coats and tent cloths, and sew with great taste and 
 nicety the different articles of dress they manufac- 
 ture; and the whalebone and other superior pro- 
 ducts, so valuable in European markets, have also 
 their uses among them. 
 
 I shall conclude this account of the mysticetus, 
 with a sketch of some of the characters which be- 
 long generally to cetaceous animals. 
 
 Whales are viviparous: they have but one young 
 at a time, and suckle it with teats. They are fur- 
 nislied with lungs, and are under the necessity of 
 approaching the surface of the water at intervals to 
 respire in the air. The heart has two Ventricles 
 and two auricles. The blood is warmer than in 
 the human species; in a narwal that had been an 
 liour and a half dead, the temperature of the blood 
 was 97°; and in a mysticetus recently killed 102°. 
 All of them inhabit the sea. Some of them pro- 
 cure their food by means of a kind of sieve, com- 
 posed of two fringes of whalebone; these have 
 no teeth. Others have no whalebone, but are 
 furnished Avith teeth. They all have two lateral or 
 pectoral fins, wiih concealed bones like those of a 
 hand; and a large flexible horizontal tail, which is 
 the principal member of motion. Some have a 
 kind of dorsal fin, which is .an adipose or cartila- 
 ginous substance, without motion. This fin, \ary- 
 ing in form, size, and position, in different spqcies, 
 and being in a conspicuous situation, is Avell adapt- 
 
THE KAZOR-BACK. 
 
 137 
 
 ed for a specific distinction. The appearance and 
 dimensions of the whalebone and teeth, especially 
 the former, are other specific characteristics. All 
 whales have spiracles or blowholes, some with one, 
 others with two openings, through which they 
 breathe; some have a smooth skin all over the body; 
 others have rugae or sulci about the region of the 
 thorax and on the lower jaw. And all afford, be- 
 neatli the integuments, a quantity of fat or blubber, 
 from whence a useful and valuable oil, the train oil 
 of commerce, is extracted. 
 
 Species II.— TAe Razor-back, 
 
 Balaena Physalis; L. 
 
 Balsenoptera Gihhar; La Cepede. 
 
 This is the longest animal of the whale tribe; 
 and probably, the most powerful and bulky of 
 created beings. It differs from the mysticetus, in its 
 form being less cylindrical, and its body longer and 
 more slender; in its whalebone being shorter; its 
 produce in blubber and oil being less; in its colour 
 being of a bluer tinge; in its fins being more in num- 
 ber, in its breathing or blowing being more vio- 
 lent; in its speed being greater; in its actions being 
 quicker and more restless, and in its conduct being 
 bolder. 
 
 VoL. III. 
 
 18 
 
138 
 
 THE RAZOR-BACK. 
 
 The length of the physalis is about 100 feet; its 
 greatest circumference 30 or 35. The body is not 
 cylindrical, but is considerably compressed on the 
 side, and angular at the back. A transverse sec- 
 tion near the fins is an oblong, and at the rump a 
 rhombus. The longest lamina of whalebone mea- 
 sures about four feet; it affords ten or twelve tons of 
 blubber. Its colour is a pale bluish black, or dark 
 bluish gray, in which it resembles the sucking mys- 
 ticetus. Besides the two pectoral fins, it has a small 
 horny protuberance, or rayless and immoveable fin, 
 on the extremity of the back. Its blowing is very 
 violent, and may be heard in calm weather, at the 
 distance of about a mile. It swims with a velocity at 
 the greatest of about twelve miles an hour. It is by 
 no means a timid animal, yet it does not appear to 
 be revengeful or mischievous. When closely pur- 
 sued by boats, it manifests little fear, and does not 
 attempt to outstrip them in the race; but merely en- 
 deavours to avoid them by diving or changing its 
 direction. If harpooned, or otherwise wounded, it 
 then exerts all its energies, and escapes with its ut- 
 most velocity, but shows little disposition to retaliate 
 on its enemies, or to repel their attacks by engaging 
 in a combat. Though at a distance the physalis is 
 sometimes mistaken by the whalers for the raysti- 
 cetus; yet its appearance and actions are so different, 
 that it may be generally distinguished. It seldom 
 lies quietly on the surface of the w ater when blow- 
 ing, but usually has a velocity of four or five miles 
 
THE RAZOR-BACK. 
 
 4 39 
 
 an hour; and when it descends, it very rarely throws 
 its tail in the air, w'hich is a very general practice 
 with the niystieetus. 
 
 The great speed and activity of the physalis, 
 render it a difficult and dangerous object of attack; 
 while the small quantity of inferior oil it affords, 
 makes it unworthy the general attention of the fish- 
 ers. When struck, it frequently drags tlie fast 
 boat with such speed through the water, that it is 
 liable to be carried immediately beyond the reach 
 of assistance, and soon out of sight of both boats 
 and ship. Hence the striker is under the necessity 
 of cutting the line, and sacrificing his employer’s 
 property, for securing the safety of himself and 
 companions. I have made different attempts to 
 capture one of these formidable creatures. In the. 
 year 1818, 1 ordered a general chase of them, pro- 
 viding against the danger of having my crew sepa- 
 rated from the ship, by appointing a rendezvous on 
 the shore, not far distant, and preparing against the 
 loss of much line, by dividing it at 200 fathoms from 
 the harpoon, and affixing a buoy to the end of it. 
 Thus arranged, one of these whales was shot, and 
 another struck. The former dived with such im- 
 petuosity, that the line was broken by the resistance 
 of the buoy, as soon as it was thrown into the water, 
 and the latter was liberated within a minute by the 
 the division of the line, occasioned, it was supposed, 
 by its friction against the dorsal fin. Both of them 
 escaped. Another physalis was struck by one of 
 
140 
 
 THE RAZOR-BACK. 
 
 my inexperienced harpooners, who mistook it for a 
 mysticetus. It dived obliquely with such velocity, 
 that 480 fathoms of line were withdrawn from the 
 boat in about a minute of time. This whale was 
 also lost by the brealdng of the line. 
 
 The following observations on this animal have 
 been derived from different persons who have had 
 opportunities of examining it when dead. 
 
 Length of a physalis found dead in -Davis’s 
 Strait 105 feet, greatest circumference about 38. 
 Head small, compared with that of the common 
 whale; fins long and narrow; tail about twelve feet 
 broad, finely formed; whalebone about four feet in 
 length, thick, bristly and narrow; blubber six or 
 eight inches thick, of indifferent quality; colour blu- 
 ish black on the back, and bluish gray on the belly; 
 skin smooth, excepting about the side of the thorax, 
 where longitudinal rugae or sulci occur. The phy- 
 salis occurs in great numbers in the Arctic seas, 
 especially along the edge of the ice, between Cherie 
 Island and Nova Zembla, and also near Jan Mayen. 
 Persons trading to Archangel have often mistaken 
 it for the common whale. It is seldom seen among 
 much ice, and seems to be avoided by the mysti- 
 cetus; as such, the whale fishers view its appear- 
 ance with painful concern. It inhabits most gene- 
 rally in the Spitzbergen quarter, the parallels of 
 from 70 to 76 degrees, but in the months of June, 
 July, and August, when the sea is usually open, it 
 advances along the land to the northward as high 
 
THE BROAD-NOSED WHALE. 
 
 141 
 
 as the 80th degree of latitude. In open seasons it 
 is seen near the headland at an earlier period. A 
 whale, probably of this kind, 101 feet in length, 
 was stranded on the banks of the Humber, about the 
 middle of September, 1750. 
 
 Species III. — The Broad-nosed Whale. 
 
 Balsena Musculus; L. . ’ 
 
 Bahenoptera Rorqual: La Cepede. 
 
 This species of whale frequents the coasts of Scot- 
 land, Ireland, and Norway, &c. and is said to feed 
 principally upon herrings. Several characters of 
 ■ the musculus very much resemble those of the phy- 
 salis, though I believe there is an essential differ- 
 ence between the two animalsj the musculus being 
 shorter, having a larger head and mouth, and rounder 
 under jaw, than the physalis. Several individuals, 
 apparently of this kind, have been stranded or kill- 
 ed on different parts of the coast of the United 
 Kingdom. One, 53 feet in length, was stranded 
 near Eyemouth, June 19th, 1752. Another, near- 
 ly 70 feet in length, ran ashore on the coast of Corn- 
 wall, on the 18th, of June, 1797- Three were kill- 
 ed on the northwest coast of Ireland, in the year 
 1762, and two in 1763; one or two have been killed 
 in the Thames, and one was embayed and killed in 
 
142 
 
 THE FINNER. 
 
 Baltic sound, Shetland, in the winter of 1817-18; 
 some remains of which I saw. This latter whale, 
 was 83 feet in length, the jaw bones were 31 feet 
 long, the longest lamina of whalebone about three 
 feet long. Instead of hair at the inner edge and at 
 the front of each blade of whalebone, it had a fringe 
 of bristly fibres; and it Avas stilfer, harder, and more 
 horny in its texture than common whalebone. This 
 whale produced only about five tons of oil, all of it 
 of an inferior quality, some of it viscid and bad. It 
 was valued altogether, expenses of removing the 
 produce and extracting the oil deducted, at no more 
 than 60Z. Sterling. It had the usual sulci about the 
 thorax, and a dorsal fin. 
 
 In its blowing, swimming, and general action, as 
 well as in its appearance in the water, the museulus 
 very much resembles the physalisj from Avhich, in-r 
 deed, while living, it can scarcely be distinguished. 
 
 Species IV.— T/;e Firmer. 
 
 Balaena Boops: L. 
 
 Balamoptera 
 
 Length about 46 feet; greatest circumference of the 
 body about SO feet; dorsal protuberance or fin, about 
 two feet and a half high; pectoral fin, four or five feet 
 long, externally, and scarcely a foot broad; tail 
 
143 
 
 THE FINNER, 
 
 about three feet deep, and ten broad; whalebone 
 about 300 latninse on each side, the longest about 
 18 inches in length; the under jaw about 15 feet 
 long, or one third of whole length of the animal; 
 sulci about two dozen in number; two external blow'- 
 holes; blubber on the body, two or three inches 
 thick; under the sulci none. 
 
 In the Memoirs of the Wernerian Society, a de- 
 scription of a whale, corresponding in its dimen- 
 sions, at least, with the Balsena Eoops, has been 
 given to the public by Mr. P. Neill, Edinburgh.^ 
 This whale was stranded on the banks of the Forth, 
 near Alloa, and had been considerably mutilated 
 before Mr. Neill had an opportunity of examining 
 it. It is considered by him, a Balsena Rostrata, 
 From his valuable paper, part of the above descrip- 
 tion is taken, which differs so much from a Rostrata 
 noticed below, particularly in its larger dimensions, 
 and in the greater proportion which the head bears 
 to the body, that it would appear to belong either 
 to the Balsena Boops or to an undescribed species. 
 From the inaccuracy of the sketches of almost all the 
 whales hitherto figured, the naturalist is rather 
 plagued than assisted by them. As such, the fig- 
 ures given by La Cepede and others, can scarcely 
 be of any service, in determining the species of this 
 whale. 
 
 * Vol. 1, p. 201. 
 
144 
 
 THE BEAKED WHALE. 
 
 Species V. — -The Beaked Inhale. 
 
 Balaena Rostrata; L. 
 
 Balsmopiera Acuto Bosiratd; La^ Cep^de. 
 
 This is the last and the smallest of the whale- 
 bone whales with which l am acquainted. An ani- 
 mal of this species w^as killed in Scalpa Bay, No- 
 vember 14, 1808. Its length was 17 ^ feet, circum- 
 ference 20 feet, length from the snout to the dorsal 
 fin 171 feet, from the snout to the pectoral fin 5 
 feet, from the snout to the eye 3§ feet, and from the 
 snout to the blowholes 3 feet. Pectoral fins two 
 feet long and seven inches broad; dorsal fin 15 
 inches long by 9 inches high, tail 15 inches long 
 by 4| feet broad. Largest whalebone about six 
 inches. Colour of the back black; of the belly 
 glossy white; and of the grooves of the plicse, ac- 
 cording to Mrs. Traill, who saw it on the beach 
 in Scalpa Bay, a sort of flesh colour. 
 
 The Eostrata is said to inhabit principally the 
 Norwegian seasj and to grow to the length of 25 
 feet. One of the species was killed near Spitz- 
 bergen, in the year 1813, some of the whalebone 
 of which I now have in ray possession. It is thin, 
 fibrous, of a yellowish white colour, and semi-trans- 
 parent, almost like lantern horns. It is curved like 
 a scymetar, and fringed with white hair on the con- 
 vex edge and point. Its length is 9 inches; greatest 
 breadth 2i. 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 145 
 
 THE WHALE FISHERY. 
 
 Observations on the Fishery of different latitudes and 
 seasons, and under different circumstances of Ice, 
 Wind, and Weather,- 
 
 It is not yet ascertained, what is the earliest 
 period of the year, in which it is possible to fish 
 for whales. The danger attending the navigation, 
 amidst massive drift ice in the obscurity of night, 
 is the most formidable objection against attemptmg 
 the fishery before the middle of the month of April, 
 when the sun, having entered the northern tropic, 
 begins to enlighten the Polar regions throughout 
 the twenty-four hours. Severity of frost, preva- 
 lence of storms, and frequency of thick weather, 
 arising from snow and frost rime, are the usual con- 
 comitants of the spring of the year; and these, when 
 combined with the darkness incident to night, a 
 tempestuous sea, and crowded ice, must probably 
 produce as high a degree of horror in the mind of 
 the navigator, who is unhappily subjected to their 
 distressful influence, as any combination of circum- 
 stances which the imagination can present. Some 
 ships have sailed to the northward of the seventy- 
 eighth degree of latitude, before the close of the 
 month of March; but I am not acquainted with a 
 sinele instance, where the hardy fishers have, at this 
 VoL. HI.— 19 
 
146 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 season, derived any compensation for the extraor- 
 dinary dangers to which they were exposed. In 
 the course of the month of April, on certain occa- 
 sions, considerable progress has been made in the 
 fishery, notwithstanding the frequency of storms. 
 At the first stage of the business, iw open seasons, 
 the whales are usually found in most abundance on 
 the borders of the ice, near Haekluy t’s Headland, 
 in the latitude of 80°. A degree or two farther 
 south, they are sometimes seen, though not in much 
 plenty; but in the 76th degree, they sometimes occur 
 in such numbers, as to present a tolerable prospect 
 of success in assailing them. Some rare instances 
 have occurred, wherein they have been seen on the 
 edge of the ice, extending from Cherry Island to 
 Point-look-out, in the early part of the season. 
 
 In the year 1803, the fishery of April was con- 
 siderable in the latitude of 80°; in 1813, many 
 whales were seen in the same latitude; but the 
 weather being tempestuous in an almost unprece- 
 dented degree, but few were killed; and in the in- 
 termediate years, the fishery was never general in 
 this month, and but seldom begun at all before the 
 commencement of May. In 1814, the fishery com- 
 menced before the middle of April, and some ships 
 derived uncommon advantage from an early ar- 
 rival. In 1815, some ships were near Spitzbergen 
 in March, and fished in the first week of April 
 in the latitude of 80°, where a great number of 
 
■\VHALE-'FISHERT. 147 
 
 whales were seen. Accompanying the ice in its 
 drift, along the coast to the southward, the same 
 tribe of whales were seen in the latitude of 7§% 
 about the middle and end of the month, and a con- 
 siderable number were killed. In 1816, fish were 
 seen in 80°, in the same month, but few killed, on 
 account of the formation of bay ice upon the sea. 
 Ill 1817jtbe w’^eatherwas very tempestuous in April, 
 and scarcely any whales were killed; and in 1818, 
 the fishery of this month was inconsiderable. 
 
 Grown fish are frequently found at the edge, or 
 a little within the edge of the loose ice^ in the 79th 
 degree of north latitude, in the month of May; and 
 small whales of different ages at fields, and some- 
 times in bays of the ice in the SOth degree. 
 
 Usually, the fish are most plentiful in June; 
 and on some occasions they are met with in every 
 degree of latitude fi’om 75° to 80°. In this month, 
 the large whales are found in every variety of sit- 
 uation; sometimes in open water, at others in the 
 loose ice, or at the edges of fields and floes, near the 
 main impervious body of ice, extending towards 
 the coast of West Greenland. The smaller ani- 
 mals of the species are, at the same time, found far- 
 ther to the south, than in the spring, at floes, fields, 
 or even among loose ice, but most plentiful about 
 • fields or floes, at the border of the main western ice, 
 in the latitude of 78 or 7S| degrees. 
 
 In July, the fishery generally terminates, some- 
 times at the beginning of the month, at others. 
 
148 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 though more rarely, it continues throughout the 
 greater part of it. Few small fish are seen at this 
 season. The large whales, when plentiful, are 
 found occasionally in every intermediate situation, 
 between the open sea and the main ice, in one di- 
 rection, and between the latitudes of 75° and 79° in 
 the other, but rarely as far north as 80°. 
 
 The parallel of 78 to 78| degrees, is, on the 
 whole, the most productive fishing station! The 
 interval between this parallel and 80°, or any other 
 situation more remote, is called the “ northward,” 
 and any situation in a lower latitude than 78°, is 
 called the southward.” 
 
 Though the 79th degree affords whales in the 
 greatest abundance, yet the 76th degree affords 
 them, perhaps, more generally. In this latter situa- 
 tion, a very large kind of the mysticetus is com- 
 monly to be found throughout the season, from 
 April to July inclusive. Their number, however, 
 is not often great; and as the situation in which 
 they occur is unsheltered, and, consequently, ex- 
 posed, to heavy swells, the southern fishery is not 
 much frequented. 
 
 The parallel of 77° to 771°, is considered a 
 dead latitude,” by the fishers, but occasionally 
 it affords whales also. 
 
 From an attentive observation of facts, it would 
 appear, that different tribes of the mysticetus in- 
 habit different regions, and pursue different, routes 
 on their removal from the places where first seen. 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 149 
 
 These tribes seem to be distingiiisbed by a ditferenee 
 of age or mannersj and in some instances, apparent- 
 ly by a difference of species, or sub-species. The 
 whales seen in the spring in the latitude of 80°, 
 which are usually full grown animals, disappear 
 generally by the end of April; and the place of their 
 retreat is unknown. Those inhabiting the regions 
 of 78°, are of a mixed size. Such as resort to fields 
 in May and the beginning of June, are generally 
 young animals; and those seen in the latitude of 
 76 °, are almost always of the very largest kind. 
 Instances are remembered by some aged captains, 
 wherein a number have been taken in the soiithivard 
 fishing stations, which were astonishingly produc- 
 tive of oil. It is probable, that the difference in 
 the appearance of the heads, or the difference of 
 proportion existing between the heads and bodies 
 of some mystieete, are distinguishable of a differ- 
 ence in the species, or sub-species. Those inhabit- 
 ing southern latitudes, have commonly long heads 
 and bodies, compared with their circumference, 
 moderately thick blubber and long whalebone; those 
 of the mean fishing latitude, that is 78° — 79°, have 
 more commonly short broad heads, compared with 
 the size of the body. In some individuals, the 
 head is at least one-third of the whole length of the 
 animal, but in others scarcely two- sevenths. Hence, 
 it is exceedingly probable, that the whales seen 
 early in April, in the latitude of 80°, are a peculiar 
 tribe, which do not re-appear during the remainder 
 
150 
 
 WHALE-FISHERYi 
 
 of the season; and that those inhabiting the latitude 
 of 78° and of 76°, are likewise distinct tribes. 
 
 Notwithstanding, if we descendto particulars, the 
 great variety and uncertainty which appear in the 
 nature of the situations preferred by the whales, and 
 the apparent dissimilarity observed in their habits, 
 it is probable, that, were the diifferent tribes distin- 
 guished, we should find a much greater degree of 
 similarity in their choice of situation and in their 
 general habits than we are at present able to trace. 
 
 Annoyed as the whales are by the fishers, it is 
 nut surprising that they sometimes vary their usual 
 places of resort, and it is not improbable, were they 
 left undisturbed for a few years, but that they might 
 return to the bays and sea-coasts of Spitzbergen and 
 its neighbouring islands, as was formerly the cus- 
 tom with certain tribes, at the commencement of this 
 fishery. W e are doubtless in a great measure indebt- 
 ed to the necessity they are under, of performing the 
 function of respiration in the aiv, at stated intervals, 
 for being able to meet with them at all; tliough the 
 coast of Spitzbergen may possibly possess powerful 
 attraction to the mysticete, by affording them a great- 
 er abu ndance of palatable food than the interior west-- 
 ern waters, covered perpetually by the ice. From 
 this necessity of respiring in the air, we may account 
 for their appearance in the open sea in the early 
 part of the spring. The ice at this season, connect- 
 ed by the winter’s frost, is so consolidated, as to pre- 
 vent the whales from breathing among it, excepting 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 131 
 
 within so much of its confines as may be broken by 
 the violence of the sea in storms. After the disso- 
 lution of the continuity of the ice, by north, north- 
 west, or west winds, they find sufficient convenience 
 for respiration in the interior, and often retreat 
 thither to the great disadvantage of the whalers. In 
 such cases, if the formation of bay ice, or the con- 
 tinuity of the border of the heavy ice, prevents 
 the ships from following, the whales completely es- 
 cape their enemies, until the relaxation of the frost 
 permits an entrance. 
 
 It is not uncommon, however, for an adult tribe of 
 whales, to resort partially to the open sea, between 
 the latitudes of 76° and 79°, during the months of 
 May and June, and, though more rarely, during the 
 early part of July, when, at length, they suddenly 
 betake themselves to the ice, and disappear alto- 
 gether. 
 
 The systematical movements of the whales re- 
 ceive additional illustration from many well known 
 facts. Sometimes a large tribe, passing from one place 
 to another, which, under such circumstances, is de- 
 nominated a run of fish,” has been traced in its 
 movements in a direct line from the south towards 
 the north, along the seaward edge of the western 
 ice, through a space of two or three degrees of lati- 
 tude; then it has been ascertained to have entered 
 the ice, and penetrated to the north-westward, be- 
 yond the reach of the fishers. In certain years, it 
 is curious to observe, that the whales commence a 
 
153 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 simultaneous retreat throughout the whole fishing 
 limits, and all disappear within the space of a very 
 few days. On such occasions it has often happened, 
 that not a single whale has been seen by any indi- 
 vidual belonging to the whole Greenland fleet, after 
 perhaps the middle of June, but more commonly 
 after the first or second week in July, notwithstand- 
 ing many of. the fleet may have cruised about in the 
 fishing region for a month afterwards. In the year 
 1813, whales were found in considerable numbers 
 in the open sea, during the greater part of the fish- 
 ing season, but in the greatest abundance about the 
 end of June and beginning of July. On the 6th of 
 July, they departed into the ice, and Avere followed 
 by the fishers; several were killed during the three 
 succeeding days, but they wholly disappeared after 
 the 9th. Notwithstanding, several ships cruised 
 the country,” for some weeks afterwards, in all 
 navigable directions, through an extent of four de- 
 grees of latitude, and penetrated the ice as far as 
 the main western body, in different parallels, it 
 does not appear that a single whale was caught, 
 and as far as I was able to learn, but one was seen, 
 and this individual was observed to be rapidly ad- 
 vancing towards the north-west. 1 do not mention 
 this as an uncommon circumstance, because a simi- 
 lar case occurs frequently, but as a single illustra- 
 tion of the foregoing observation. 
 
 When the fishery for the season, in the opinion of 
 the British whalers, has altogether ceased, it ap- 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 153 
 
 P®'^.rs from the observation of the Dutch,* that it 
 frequently be recommenced in the autumn, at 
 the verge of the most northern waters, near Hack- 
 luyt’s Headland. They consider the fish which then 
 appear as the same tribe that are seen in this place 
 in the spring of the year, and enter the ice, imme- 
 diately after it opens in the north. On the recom- 
 mencement of the frost, they instinctively return to 
 prevent themselves being enclosed so far within the 
 ice, as to occasion suffocation from the freezing up 
 of the openings through which they might otherwise 
 breathe. 
 
 This tribe are supposed by the Dutch to be real- 
 ly inhabitants of the sea adjoining West Greenland; 
 that they always retreat thither whenever the state 
 of the ice will admit, and only appear within the 
 observation of the fishers, when the solidity of the 
 ice prevents their attaining those favourite situations, 
 where they probably find the most agreeable food.-f 
 
 The whales, of lower latitudes, however, whose 
 food lies near the eastern margin of the main ice, 
 when they enter the ice in May and June, seem to 
 exhibit an intention of evading their pursuers; for in 
 whatever manner they may retreat for a while, they 
 frecpiently return to the same or other similar place, 
 
 * Beschryving der Walvisvangst, vol. 1, p. 52. 
 t Beschryving, 8cc. vol. 1. p. 53. — As I have never seen 
 whales in this situation in the autumn myself, I give the in- 
 formation entirely on the authority of the work here quoted. 
 
 Vol. III.- 20 
 
154 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 accessible to the fisbers. But after the montl* 
 July, this tribe also penetrates so deeply into l^Je 
 ice, that it gets beyond the reach of its enemies. 
 
 Experience proves, that the whale has its favour- 
 ite places of resort, depending on a sufficiency of 
 food, particular circumstances of weather, and par- 
 ticular positions and qualities of the ice. Thus, 
 though many whales may have been seen in open 
 water, when the weather was fine, after the occur- 
 rence of a storm, perhaps not one is to be seen. 
 And, though fields are sometimes the resort of hun- 
 dreds of whales, yet, whenever the loose ice around 
 separates entirely away, the whales quit them also. 
 Hence fields seldom afford whales in much abund- 
 ance, excepting at the time when they first ‘‘ break 
 out,” and become accessible; that is, immediately 
 after a vacancy is made on some side by the sepa- 
 ration of adjoining fields, floes, or drift ice. Whales, 
 on leaving fields which have become exposed, fre- 
 quently retire to other more obscure situations in a 
 west or northwest direction; but occasionally they 
 retreat no further than the neighbouring drift ice, 
 from whence they sometimes return to the fields at 
 regular intervals of six, twelve or twenty-four hours. 
 
 Whales are rarely seen in abundance in the large 
 open space of water, which sometimes occurs amidst 
 fields and floes, nor are they commonly seen in a 
 very open pack, unless it be in the immediate neigh- 
 bourhood of the main western ice. They seem to 
 have a preference for close packs and patches of 
 ice; and for fields under certain circumstances; for 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 155 
 
 <lee[) bays ov bights, and sometimes for clear water 
 situations; occasionally for detached streams of drift 
 ice; and most generally, for extensive sheets of bay 
 ice. Bay ice is a very favourite retreat of the 
 whales, so long as it continues sufficiently tender 
 to be couveuiently broken, for the purpose of respi- 
 ration. In such situations, whales may frequently 
 be seen in amazing numbers, elevating and break- 
 ing the ice with their crowns,* where they are ob- 
 served to remain much longer at rest than when 
 seen in open water, or in the clear interstices of the 
 ice, or indeed in almost any other situation. 
 
 Description of the boats and principal instruments used 
 in the capture of the whale. 
 
 Whale-boats are, of course, peculiarly adapted 
 for the occupation they are intended to be employ- 
 ed in. A well constructed Greenland boat,” pos- 
 sesses the following properties. It floats lightly 
 and safely on the water, — is capable of being row- 
 ed with great speed, and readily turned round, — it 
 is of such capacity that it carries six or seven men, 
 seV^en or eight hundred weight of whale-lines, and 
 various other materials, and yet retains the necessa- 
 ry properties of safety, buoyancy, and speed, either 
 in smooth water, or where it is exposed to a con- 
 siderable sea. Whale-boats , being very liable to 
 receive damage, both from whales and ice, are al- 
 
 * The eminence on the head of the whale, in which the 
 blow-holes are situated, is thus called. 
 
156 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 Ways carver-built , — a structure wliieh is easily re- 
 paired. They are usually of the following dinieti- 
 sions. Those called “ six oared boats,” adapted for 
 carrying seven men, six of whom, including the har- 
 pooner, are rowers, are generally 26 to 28 feet in 
 lengtii, and about five feet nine inches in breadth. 
 Six men boats, that is, with five rowers and a steers- 
 man, are usually 25 to 26 feet in length, and about 
 five feet six inches in breadth. And four oared 
 boats,” are usually twenty-three to twenty-four in 
 length, and about five feet three inches in breadth. 
 The main breadth of the two first classes of boats 
 is at about three-sevenths of the length of the boat 
 reckoned from the stem; but, in the last class, it 
 is necessary to have the main breadth within one- 
 tliird of the length of the boat from the stem. The 
 object of this is, to enable the smaller boat to sup- 
 port, without being dragged under water, as great a 
 strain on the lines as those of a larger class; other- 
 wise, if such a boat were sent out by itself, its lines 
 would be always liable to be lost before any assist- 
 ance could reach it. The five oared or six men 
 boat, is that which is in most general use; though 
 each fishing ship generally carries one or tu'o of the 
 largest class. These boats are now commonly built 
 of fir-boards, one-half or three-fourths of an inch 
 thick, with timbers, keel, gunw^ales, stem and stern- 
 post of oak. An improvement in tlie timbering of 
 whale-boats lias lately been made, by sawing the 
 timber out of very stitiight grained oak, and bend- 
 ing them to the required form, after being made 
 
WHALE-FISHERY, 
 
 supple, by the application of steam, or immersion 
 in boiling water. This improvement, which renders 
 the timbers more elastic, than when they are sawn 
 out of crooked oak, at the same time makes the boat 
 stronger and lighter. Though the principle has 
 long been acted upon in clincher-built boats, with 
 ash timbers, the application to carver-built whale- 
 boats, is, I believe, new. The bow and stern of 
 Greenland boats, are both sharp, and, in appear- 
 ance, very similar; but the stern forms a more acute 
 angle than the bow. The keel has some inches 
 depression in the middle, from which the facility of 
 turning is acquired. 
 
 The instruments of general use in the capture of 
 the whale, are the harpoon and lance. 
 
 The harpoon (fig. 4.) is an instrument of iron, of 
 about three feet in length. It consists of three con- 
 joined parts, called the socket,” shank,” and 
 “ mouth,” the latter of which includes the barbs or 
 withers.” This instrument, if we except a small 
 addition to the barbs, and some enlargement of dimen- 
 sions, maintains the same form in which it was ori- 
 ginally used in the fishery tv/o centuries ago. At 
 that time, the mouth or barbed extremity was of a tri- 
 angular shape, united to the shank in the middle of 
 one of the sides; and this being scooped out on each 
 side of the shank, formed two simple flat barbs. In 
 the course of last century, an improvement was made, 
 by adding another small barb, resembling the beard 
 of a fish-hook, within each of the former withers, in 
 a reverse position. The two principal withers, in 
 
158 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 the present improveil harpoon, measure about eight 
 inches in length and six in breadth; the shank is 
 eigliteen inches to two feet in length, and four-tenths 
 of an inch in diameter, and the socket, which is 
 hollow, swells from the size of the shank to near 
 two inches diameter, and is about six inches in 
 length. Now, when the harpoon is forced by a 
 blow into the fat of the whale, and the line is 
 held tight, the principal withers seize the strong 
 ligamentous fibres of the blubber, and prevent 
 it from being withdrawn; and in the event of its 
 being pulled out, so far as to remain entangled 
 by one wither only, which is frequently the case, 
 then the little reverse barb, or “ stop wither,” as it is 
 called, collecting a number of the same reticulated 
 sinewy fibres, which are very numerous near the 
 skin, prevents the harpoon from being shaken out 
 by the ordinary motions of the whale. The point 
 and exterior edges of the barbs of the harpoon, are 
 sharpened to a rough edge, by means of a file. This 
 part of the harpoon is not formed of steel, as it is 
 frequently represented, but of common soft iron; so 
 that when blunted, it can be readily sharpened by a 
 file, or even by scraping it with a knife. The most 
 important part in the construction of this instrument, 
 is the shank. As this part is liable to be forcibly 
 and sudddenly extended, twisted and bent, it re- 
 quires to be made of the softest and most pliable 
 iron. That kind which is of the most approved 
 tenacity, is made of old horse-shoe nails or stubs, 
 which are formed into small rods, and two or three 
 
WHALE- FISHERY. 
 
 159 
 
 of these welded together; so that should a flaw hap- 
 pen to occur in any one of the rods, the strength of 
 the whole might still be depended on. Some maiui- 
 faeturers enclose a quantity of stub-iron in a cylinder 
 of best foreign iron, and form the shank of the har- 
 poon out of a single rod. A test sometimes used 
 for trying the sufficiency of a harpoon, is to wind 
 its shank round a bolt of inch iron, in the form of a 
 close spiral, then to unwind it again, and put it in- 
 to a straight form. If it bears this without injury 
 in the cold state, it is considered as excellent. The 
 breaking of a harpoon is of no less importance than 
 the value of a whale, which is sometimes estimated 
 at more than lOOOZ. sterling. 
 
 Next in importance to the harpoon, is the lance, 
 (fig. 5.) which is a spear of iron of the length of six 
 feet. It consists of a hollow socket six inches long, 
 swelling from half an inch, the size of the shank, 
 to near two inches in diameter, into which is fitted 
 a four feet stock or handle of fir; a shank five feet 
 long, and half an inch in diameter; and a mouth of 
 steel, which is made very thin, and exceedingly 
 sharp, seven or eight inches in length, and two or 
 in breadth. 
 
 Tliese two instruments, the harpoon and lance, 
 with the necessary apparatus of lines, boats, and 
 oars, are all that are essential for capturing the 
 whale. But besides these instruments, so success- 
 fully used in the whale-fishery, there is likewise an 
 auxiliary weapon which has, at different periods, 
 been of some celebrity. This is the harpoou-gmi. 
 
t60 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 It is well calculated to facilitate the capture of whales 
 uuder particular circumstances, particularly in calm 
 clear weather, when the fish are apt to take the 
 alarm, whenever the boats approach within fifteen 
 or twenty yards of them. The harpoon-gun was 
 invented in the year 17*31, and used, it seems, by 
 some individuals with success. Being, however, 
 difficult, and somewliat dangerous in its application, 
 it was laid aside for many years. It has, however, 
 subsequently been highly improved, and rendered 
 capable of throwing a harpoon near forty yards with 
 effect; yet, on account of the difficulty and address 
 requisite in the management of it, and loss of fish, 
 which, in unskilful hands it has been the means of 
 occasioning, together with some accidents which 
 have resulted from its use, — it has not been so gene- 
 rally adopted as might have been expected. 
 
 In its present improved form, the harpoon-gun 
 consists of a kind of swivel, having a barrel of 
 wrought iron, 2-1 to 26 inches in length, of 3 inches 
 exterior diameter, and ii inches bore. It is furnish- 
 ed with two locks, which act simultaneously, for 
 the purpose of diminishing the liability of the gun 
 missing fire. Fig. 1. is a representation of the 
 harpoon-gun; and fig. 2. and 3. show the form 
 of the harpoon which is fired from it. The shank 
 of this harpoon is double, terminating in a cy- 
 lindrical knob, fitting the bore of the gun. Be- 
 tween the two parts of the shank is a wire ring, to 
 which is attached the line. Now, when the har- 
 poon is introduced into the barrel of the gun, the 
 
WHALE-i'ISHERYo 
 
 16 j 
 
 ring, with the attached line, remains on the outside 
 near the mouth of the harpoon; but the instant that 
 it is fired, the ring flies back against the cylindrical 
 knob. Some harpoons have been lately made with 
 a single shank, similar to the common hand-har- 
 poon,” but swelled at the end to the thickness of 
 the bore of the gun. The whale line closely splic- 
 ed round the shank, is slipped towards the mouth 
 of the harpoon, when it is placed in the gun, and 
 when fired, is prevented from disengaging itself, by 
 the size of the knob at the end. 
 
 Proceedings on Fishing Stations. 
 
 On fishing stations, when the weather is such as 
 to render the fishing practicable, the boats are al- 
 ways ready for instant service. Suspended from 
 davits or cranes by the side of the ship, and furnish- 
 ed with the requisite implements, two boats at least, 
 the crews of which are always in readiness, can, in 
 a general way, be manned and lowered into tlie 
 water, within the space of one minute of time. 
 
 Wherever there is a probability of seeing whales, 
 when the weather and situation are such, as to pre- 
 sent a possibility of capturing them, the crow’s- 
 nest^, is generally occupied by the master, or some 
 
 * The crow’s-nest, is an apparatus placed on the main- 
 topmast, or top -gallant-mast head, as a kind of watch tow- 
 er, for the use of the master, or officer of the watch, in the 
 fishing seas, for sheltering him from the wind, when en- 
 
 VoL. 
 
162 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 one of tile officers, who, commanding from thence 
 an extensive prospect of the surrounding sea, keeps 
 ' an anxious watch for the appearance of a whalej 
 assisted by a telescope, he views the operations of 
 any ship which may be in sight at a distancej and 
 occasionally sweeps the horizon with his glass, to 
 extend the limited sphere of vision, in which he is 
 able to discriminate a whale with the naked eye, to 
 an area vastly greater. The moment that a fish is 
 seen, he gives notice to the “ watch upon deck/’ 
 part of whom leap into a boat, are lowered down, 
 and push off towards the place. If the fish be large, 
 a second boat is. immediately despatched to the sup- 
 port of the other. When the whale again appears, 
 two boats row towards it with their utmost speed; 
 and though they may be disappointed in all their at- 
 tempts, they generally continue the pursuit, until 
 the fish either takes the alarm, and escapes them, or 
 they are recalled by signal to the ship. When two 
 or more fish, appear at the same time in different 
 situations, the number of boats, sent in pursuit, is 
 commonly increased; and when the whole of the 
 
 gaged in piloting the ship, through crowded ice, or for ob- 
 taining a more extensive view of the sea around, when look- 
 ing out for whales. In difficult situations, a master’s pre- 
 sence at the mast-head is sometimes required for many hours 
 in succession, when the temperature of the air is from 10° 
 to 20° degrees below the freezing point, or more. It is 
 therefore necessary for the preservation of his health, as well 
 as his comfort, that he should be sheltered from the gale. 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 103 
 
 boats are sent out, the ship is said to have a loose 
 fall.’' 
 
 During fine weather, in situations where whales 
 are seen, or where they have recently been seen, or 
 where there is a great probability of any making 
 their appearance, a boat is generally kept in readi- 
 ness, manned and afloat. If the ship sails with 
 considerable velocity, this boat is towed by a rope 
 astern; but when tlie ship is pretty still, whether 
 moored to ice, laid to, or sailing in light winds, the 
 
 bran boat,” as it is called, often pushes off to a 
 little distance from the ship. A boat on watch, com- 
 monly lies still in some eligible situation, with all 
 its oars elevated out of the water, but in readiness 
 in the hands of the rowers for immediate use. 
 
 The harpooner and boat steerer, keep a careful 
 watch on all sides, while each of the rowers looks 
 out -in the direction of his oar. In field fishing, the 
 boats approach the ice witli their sterns, and are 
 each of them fastened to it, by means of a boat-hook, 
 or an iron spike with a cord attached, either of 
 which is held by the boat-steerer, and is slipped or 
 withdrawn, the moment a whale appears. There 
 are several rules observed in approaching a whale, 
 as precautions, to prevent, as far as possible, the ani- 
 mal from taking the alarm. As the whale is dull 
 of hearing, but quick of sight, the boat-steerer al- 
 ways endeavours to get behind it; and, in accom- 
 plishing this, he is sometimes justified in taking a 
 cfrcuitous route. In calm weather, w'here guns are 
 
164 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 not used, the greatest caution is necessary, before a 
 whale can be reached; smooth careful rowing is al-^ 
 ways requisite, and sometimes sculling is practised. 
 
 When it is known that a whale seldom abides 
 longer on the water than two minutes, that it gene- 
 rally remains from five to ten or fifteen minutes 
 under water;^ that in this interval it sometimes 
 moves through a space of half a mile or more,™ 
 and that the fisher has very rarely, any certain in- 
 timation of the place in which it will reappear; — • 
 the difficulty and address, requisite to approach suf- 
 ficiently near, during its short stay on the surface, 
 to harpoon it, will readily be appreciated. It is, 
 therefore, a primary consideration with the harpoon- 
 er always to place his boat as near as possible to 
 the spot, in which he expects the fish to rise, and he 
 conceives himself successful in the attempt when 
 the fish comes up within a start,’’ that is, within 
 the distance of about 200 yards. In all cases when 
 a whale that is pursued, has butonce been seen, the 
 fisher is considerably indebted to what is called 
 chance for a favourable position. But when the 
 whale has been twice seen, and its change of place, 
 if any, noticed, the harpooner makes the best use of 
 the intimation derived from his observation on its 
 
 * Before I had particularly minuted the time, that a whale 
 stays on the surface, and remains below, I believed each in- 
 terval, and especially the former, was much greater than it 
 really is. • 
 
WHAiy-FlSHERY. 165 
 
 apparent motion, and places his boat accordingly; 
 thus he anticipates the fish in its progress, so that 
 when it rises to the surface, there is probability of 
 its being within the favourable precincts of a start. 
 
 A whale moving forward at a small distance be- 
 neath the surface of the sea, leaves a sure indica- 
 tion of its situation, in what is called an eddy,” 
 having somewhat the resemblance of the “ wake,” 
 or track of a ship, and in fine calm weather, its 
 change of position is sometimes pointed out by the 
 birds, many of which closely follow it when at the 
 surface, and hover over it when below, whose 
 keener vision can discover it, when it is totally con- 
 cealed from human eyes. By these indications 
 many whales have been taken. 
 
 Whenever a whale lies on the surface of the wa- 
 ter, unconscious of the approach of its enemies, the 
 hardy fisher rows directly upon it; and an instant 
 before the boat touches it, buries his harpoon in its 
 back. But if, while the boat is yet at a little dis- 
 tance, the whale should indicate his intention of 
 diving, by lifting his head above its common level, 
 and then plunging it under water, and raising his 
 body until it appear like the large segment of a 
 sphere, — the harpoon is thrown from the hand, or 
 fired from a gun, the former of which, when skilfully 
 practised, is efficient at the distance of eight or ten 
 yards, and the latter at the distance of thirty yards, 
 or upward. The wounded whale, in the surprise 
 and agony of the moment, makes a convulsive ef- 
 
166 
 
 WHALE-F^'’HERY. 
 
 fort to escape. Then is the moment of danger. The 
 boat is subjected to the most violent blows from its 
 head, or its fins, bat particularly from its ponderous 
 tail, which sometimes sweeps the air with such 
 tremendous fury, that both boat and men are ex- 
 posed to one common destruction. 
 
 The head of the whale is avoided, because it can- 
 not be penetrated with the harpoon; but any part of 
 the body, between the head and tail, will admit of 
 the full length of the instrument, without danger of 
 obstruction. The harpoon, therefore, is always 
 struck into the back, and generally well forward 
 towards the fins, thus affording the chance, when 
 it happens to drag and plough along the back, of 
 retaining its hold during a longer time, than when 
 struck in closer to the tail. 
 
 The moment that the wounded whale disappears, 
 or leaves the boat, a jack or flag, elevated on a 
 staff, is displayed; on sight of which, those on watch 
 in the ship, give the alarm, by stamping on the 
 deck, accompanied by a simultaneous and continued 
 shout of a fall,”* at the sound of this, the sleep- 
 ing crew are roused, jump from their beds, rush 
 upon deck, with their clothes tied by a string in 
 
 * The word fall, as well as many others used in the fishery, 
 is derived from the Dutch language. In the original it is 
 written val, implying jump, drop, fall, and is considered as 
 expressive of the conduct of the sailors, when manning the 
 boats, on an occasion requiring extreme dispatch. 
 
WHALF/FISHERY. 
 
 167 
 
 their hands, and crowd into the boats, with a tern- 
 perature of zero. Should a fall occur, the crew would 
 appear upon deck, shielded only by their drawers, 
 stockings, and shirts, or other habirunents in which 
 they sleep. They generally contrive to dress them- 
 selves, in part at least, as the boats are low'ered 
 down; but sometimes they push off in the state in 
 which they rise from their beds, row away towards 
 the fast boat,’^ and have no opportunity to clothe 
 themselves for a length of time afterwards. The 
 alarm of a fall,’’ has a singular effect on the feel- 
 ings of a , sleeping person, unaccustomed to the 
 whale-fishing business. It has often been mistaken 
 as a cry of distress. A landsman in a Hull ship, 
 seeing the crew, on an occasion of a fall, rush upon 
 deck, with their clothes in their hands, when there 
 W'as no appearance of danger, thought the men were 
 all mad; but, with another individual the effect w'as 
 totally different. Alarmed with the extraordinary 
 noise; and still more so, when he reached the deck, 
 with the appearance of all the crew seated in the 
 boats in their shirts, he imagined the ship was sink- 
 ing. He therefore endeavoured to get into a boat 
 himself, but every one of them being fully manned, 
 he was always repulsed. After several fruitless 
 endeavours to gain a place among his comrades, 
 he cried out, with feelings of evident distress, 
 what shall I do?— Will none of you take me iu?’^ 
 The first effort of a fast-fish,’^ or whale that 
 has been struck, is to escape from the boat, by sink- 
 
168 
 
 WHAl-E-Fi^HBRY. 
 
 ing under water. After this, it pursues its course 
 directly downward, or re-appears at a little dis- 
 tauee, and SAvims with great celerity, near the sur- 
 face of the Avater, t6AA’;ards any neighbouring ice, 
 among Avhieli it may obtain an imaginary shelter; 
 or it returns instantly to the surface, and gives evi- 
 dence of its agony, by the most convulsive throes, 
 in Avhieh its fins and tail are alternately displayed 
 in the air, and dashed into the Avater with tremen- 
 dous violence. The former behaviour, however, 
 that is, to dive toAvards the bottom of the sea, is so 
 frequent, in comparison of any other, that it may 
 be considered as the general conduct of a fast fish. 
 
 A Avhale struck near the edge of any large sheet 
 of ice, and passing underneath it, Avill sometimes run 
 the Avhole of the lines out of the boat, in the space 
 of eight or ten minutes of time. This being the 
 case, Avhen the fast-boat” is. at a distance, both 
 from the ship and from any other boat, it fre- 
 quently happens that the lines are all withdrawn 
 before assistance arrivesj and, Avith the fish, en- 
 tirely lost. In some cases, hoAvever, they are re- 
 covered. To retard, therefore, as much as pos- 
 sible, the flight of the whale, it is usual for the 
 harpooner, Avho strikes it, to cast one, tAVo, or more 
 turns of line round a kind of post called a bollard; 
 which is fixed Avithin ten or twelve inches of tlie 
 stem of the boat, for the purpose. Such is the fric- 
 tion of the line, Avhen running round the bollard, 
 that it frequently envelopes the harpooner in smoke; 
 and if the Avood Avere not repeatedly wetted, would 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 169 
 
 probably set fire to the boat. During the capture 
 of one whale, a groove is sometimes cut in the bol- 
 lard, near an inch in depth; and, were it not for a 
 plate of brass, iron, or a block of lignum-vitse, which 
 covers the top of the stem where the line passes 
 over, it is apprehended that the action of the line on 
 the material of the boat, would cut it down to the wa- 
 ter’s edge, in the course of one season of successful 
 fishing. The approaching distress of a boat, for 
 want of line, is indicated by the elevation of an oar, 
 in the way of a mast, to which is added a second, 
 a third, or even a fourth, in proportion to the nature 
 of the exigence. The utmost care and attention are 
 requisite, on the part of every person in the boat, 
 when the lines are running out; fatal consequences 
 having been sometimes produced by the most tri- 
 fling neglect. When the line happens to run 
 foul,” and can not be cleared on the instant, it some- 
 times draws the boat under water; on which, if no 
 auxiliary boat, or convenient piece of ice be at hand, 
 the crew are plunged into the sea, and are obliged 
 to trust to the buoyancy of their oars, or to their 
 skill in swimming, for supporting themselves on the 
 surface. To provide against such au accident, as 
 well as to be ready to furnish an additional supply 
 of lines, it is usual, when boats are sent in pursuit, for 
 two to go out in company; and when a whale has 
 been struck, for the first assisting boat which ap- 
 proaches, to join the fast-boat, and to stay by it un- 
 til the fish re- appears. The other boats, likewise, 
 VoL. III. 22 
 
470 
 
 WITAI.E-FISHERYo 
 
 make towards the one carrying, a flag, anti surronnil 
 it at various distances, awaiting the appearance of 
 the wounded whale. 
 
 On my first voyage to the whale-fishery, such an 
 accident, as above alluded to, occurred. A thou- 
 sand fathoms of line were alread}'^ out, and the fast- 
 boat was forcibly pressed against the side of a piece 
 oflce. The liarpooner, in Ids anxiety to retard the 
 flight of the whale, applied too many turns of the 
 line round the bollard, which, getting entangled, 
 drew the boat beneath the ice. Another boat, pro- 
 videntially, was at hand, into which the crew, in- 
 eluding myself, who happened to be present, had 
 just time to escape. The whale, with near two 
 miles length of line, was, in consequence of the 
 accident, lost, but the boat was recovered. On a 
 subsequent occasion, I underwent a similar misad' 
 venture, but witli a happier result; we escaped with a 
 little wetting into an uccompanying boat, and the 
 whale was afterwards captured, and tlie boat with 
 its lines recovered. 
 
 When fish have been struck by myself, I have 
 on dilTerent occasions estimated their rate of descent. 
 For the first 300 fathoms, tlie average velocity was 
 usually after the rate of eight to ten miles per hour. 
 In one instance, the third line of 120 fathoms was 
 run out in 61 seconds; that is at the rate of En- 
 glish miles, or 71 nautical miles per hour. By the 
 motions of the fast-boat, thesimultancous movements 
 of the whale are estimated. Tiie auxiliary boats, 
 
VVIIALE-FISIIEUY. 
 
 171 
 
 accordingly, lake their stations about tlie situation 
 where the whale, from these motions, may reason- 
 ably be expected to appear. 
 
 The average stay under water, of a wounded 
 whale, which steadily descends after being struck, 
 according to the most usual conduct of the animal, 
 is about 30 minutes. The longest I ever observed 
 was 56 minutes; but in shallow water, I have been 
 informed, it has sometimes been known to remain 
 an hour and a half at the bottom after being struck, 
 and yet has returned to the surface alive. The 
 greater the velocity, the more considerable the dis- 
 tance to which it descends; and the longer the time 
 it remains under water, so much greater in propor- 
 tion is the extent of its exhaustion and the consequent 
 facility of accomplishing its capture. Immediately 
 that it reappears, the assisting boats make for the place 
 with their utmost speed, and as they reach it, each 
 liarpooner plunges his harpoon into its back, to the 
 amount of three, four, or more, according to the 
 size of the whale, and the nature of the situation. 
 Most frequently, however, it descends for a few 
 minutes after receiving the second harpoon, and 
 obliges the other boats to await its return to the 
 surface, before any further attack can be made. It 
 is afterwards actively plied with lances, which are 
 thrust into its body, aiming at its vitals. At length, 
 when exhausted by numerous wounds and the loss 
 of blood, which Hows from the huge animal in co- 
 pious streams, it indicates the approach of its dis- 
 
i72 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 solution, by discharging from its '^‘ blowholes,” a 
 mixture of blood along with the air and mucus 
 which it usually . expires, and finally jets' of blood 
 alone. The sea, to a great extent around, is dyed 
 with its blood, and the ice, boats, and men, are 
 sometimes drenched with the same. Its track is 
 likewise marked by a broad pellicle of oil, which 
 exudes from its wounds, and appears on the surface 
 of the sea. Its final capture is sometimes preceded 
 by a convulsive struggle, in which, its tail, rear- 
 ed, whirled, and violently jerked in the air, re- 
 sounds to the distance of miles. In dying, it turns 
 on its back or on its side; which joyful circum- 
 .stauce is announced by the eapturers with the 
 striking of their flags, accompanied by three lively 
 huzzas! 
 
 The remarkable exhaustion observed in the first 
 appearance of a wounded whale at the surface, after 
 a descent of 700 or 800 fathoms perpendicular, 
 does not depend on the nature of the wound it has 
 received; for a hundred snperficial wounds received 
 from harpoons, could not have the effect of a single 
 lance penetrating the vitals, but is the effect of 
 the almost incredible pressure to which the animal 
 must have been exposed. The surface of the body 
 of a large whale, may be considered as comprising 
 an area of 1540 square feet. This, under the com- 
 mon weight of the atmosphere only, must sustain a 
 pressure of 3,104,640 pounds, or 1386 tons. But 
 at the depth of 800 fathoms, where there is a column 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 173 
 
 of water equal in weight to about 154 atmospheres, 
 the pressure on the animal must be equal to 211,200 
 tons.* This is a degree of pressure of which we 
 can have but an. imperfect conception. It may 
 assist our comprehension, however, to be informed, 
 that it exceeds in weight sixty of the largest ships 
 of the British navy when manned, provisioned, and 
 fitted for a six months cruise. 
 
 Every boat fast to a living whale carries a flag, 
 and the ship to which such boats belong, also wears 
 a flag, until the whale is either killed or makes its 
 escape. ' These signals serve to indicate to sur- 
 rounding ships the exclusive title of the fast ship,” 
 to the entangled whale, and to prevent their inteiv 
 ference, excepting in the way of assistance, in the 
 capture. 
 
 A very natural inquiry connected with this sub- 
 ject, is, what is the length of time requisite for cap- 
 
 -) ■ ■ 
 
 *From experiments made with sea-water taken up near 
 Spitzbergen, I find that 35 cubical feet weigh a ton. 
 Now supposing a whale to descend to the depth of 800 
 fathoms or 4800 feet, which, I believe, is not uncommon, 
 we have only to divide 4800 feet, the length of the column 
 of water pressing upon the whale, by 35 feet, the length of a 
 column of sea-water a foot square, weighing a ton, the quo-' 
 tient 137 1-7, shows the pressure per square foot upon the 
 whale, in tons; which multiplied by 1 540, the number of 
 square feet of surface exposed by the animal, affords a pro- 
 duct of 21 1,200 tons, besides the usual pressure of the at- 
 mosphere. 
 
174 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 turiiig a whale? This is a question which can only 
 he answered indirectly; for I have myself witnessed 
 tlie capture of a large whale, which has been effect- 
 ed in twenty-eight minutes; and have also been en- 
 gaged with another fish which was lost, after it had 
 been entangled about sixteen hours. Instances are 
 well authenticated, in which whales have yielded 
 their lives to the lances of active fishers, within the 
 space of fifteen minutes from the time of being 
 struck; and in cases when fish have been shot witli 
 a harpoon-gun, in a still shorter period; while other 
 instances are equally familiar and certain, wherein 
 a whale having gained the shelter of a pack or com- 
 pact patch of ice, has sustained or avoided every 
 attack upon it, during the space of forty or fifty 
 hours. Some whales have been captured wlien 
 Very slightly entangled with a single harpoon, 
 wliile others have disengaged themselves, though 
 severely wounded with lances, by a single act of 
 violent and convulsive distortion of the body, or 
 tremendous shake of tlie tail, from four or more 
 harpoons; in which act, some of the lines have been 
 broken witii apparent ease, and the harpoons, to 
 which other lines were attached, either broken or 
 torn out of the body of the vigorous animal. Gene- 
 rally, the speedy capture of a whale 'depends on 
 the activity of the harpooners, tlie favourableness 
 of situation and weather, and, in no inconsiderable 
 degree, on the peculiar conduct of the whale at- 
 tacked. Under the most favourable circumstances, 
 
WHALE-FTSHEPwY. 
 
 175 
 
 namely, when the fishermen arc very active, the ice 
 very open,, or the sea free from ice and the weather 
 fine, — the average length of time occupied in the 
 capture of a whale, may he stated as not exceeding 
 an hour.^' The general average, including all sizes 
 offish, and all circumstances of ’capture, may pro- 
 bably be two or three hours. 
 
 The method practised in the capture of whales, 
 under favourable circumstances, is very uniform 
 Avith all the fisliers, both British and foreigners. 
 The only variation observable in the proceedings 
 of the different fishers, consisting in the degree of 
 activity and resolution displayed, in pursuance of 
 the operations of harpooning and lancing the whale, 
 and in the address manifested in improving by any 
 accidental movement of the fish, which may lay it 
 open to an effectual attack, — rather than in any 
 thing different or superior in the general method of 
 conducting the fishery. It is true, that with some 
 the harpoon-gun is much valued, and used Avith 
 advautage, while Avith others, it is held in prejudiced 
 aversion; yet, as this difference of opinion affects 
 
 * Twelve large whales, taken in different voyages, memo- 
 randa of whose capture I have preserved, were killed, on an 
 average, in 67 minutes. The shortest time expended in the 
 taking of one of the twelve whales, was 28 minutes, the 
 longest time 2 hours. One of these whales we believed, 
 descended 670 fathoms perpendicular; another 720; and a 
 third 750, one descended 1400 fathoms oMiciuely, and ano 
 ther 1600 fathoms. 
 
176 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 only the first attack and entanglement of the whale, 
 the subsequent proceedings with all the fishers, may 
 still be said to be founded on equal and unanimous 
 principles. Hence, the mode described in the pre- 
 ceding pages, of conducting the fishery for whales 
 under favourable circumstances, maybe considered 
 as the general plan pursued by all the fishers of all 
 the ports of Britain, as well as those of the nations 
 who resort to Spitzbergen. Neither is there any 
 difterence in the plan of attack, or mode of capture 
 between fish of large size, and those of lesser 
 growth; the proceedings are the same, but, of course, 
 with the smaller whales less force is requisite; 
 though it sometimes happens, that the trouble at- 
 tached to the killing of a yery small whale, exceeds 
 that connected with the capture of oae of the larg- 
 est individuals. The progress or flight of a large 
 whale can not be restrained; but that of an under 
 size fish may generally be confined within the limits 
 of 400 to 600 fathoms of line. A full grown fish 
 generally occupies the whole, or nearly the whole, 
 of the boats belonging to one ship in its capture; 
 but three, four, or sometimes more small fish, have 
 been killed at the same time, by six or seven boats. 
 It is not unusual for small whales to run downward, 
 until they exhaust themselves so completely, that 
 they are not able to return to the surface, but are 
 suflFocated in the water. As it is requisite that a 
 whale that has been drowned should be drawn up 
 by the line, which is a tedious and troublesome 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 177 
 
 operation, it is usual to guard against such an event 
 by resisting its descent with a light strain on the 
 line, and also by hauling upon the line, the moment 
 its descent is stopped, with a view of irritating the 
 wound, and occasioning such a degree of paiu, as 
 may induce it to return to the surface, where it can 
 be killed and secured without further trouble. Sel- 
 dom more than two harpoons are struck into an un- 
 der size whale. 
 
 The ease with which some whales are subdued, 
 and the slightness of the entanglement by which 
 they are taken, is truly surprising; but with others 
 it is equally astonishing, that neither line nor har- 
 poon, nor any number of each, is sufficiently strong 
 to effect their capture. Many instances have oc- 
 curred where whales have escaped, from four, five, 
 or even more harpoons, while fish, equally large, 
 have been killed through the medium of a single 
 harpoon. Indeed, whales have been taken in con- 
 sequence of the entanglement of a line, without any 
 harpoon at all; though, when such a case has occur- 
 red, it has evidently been the result of accident. The 
 following instances are in point. 
 
 A whale was struck from one of the boats of the 
 ship Nautilus, in Davis’s Straits. It was killed, 
 and as is usual after the capture, it was disentangled 
 of the line connected with the “ first fast-boat,” by 
 dividing it at the splice of the foreganger, within 
 eight or nine yards of the harpoon. The crew of 
 the boat from which the fish was first struck, in the 
 
 VoL. III. — -—23 
 
178 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 meantime were employed in heaving in the lines, 
 by means of a winch fixed in the boat for the 
 purpose, which they progressively effected for some 
 time. On a sudden, however, to their great aston* 
 ishraent, the lines were pulled away from them, 
 w ith the same force and violence, as by a whale 
 when first struck. They repeated their signal, in- 
 dicative of a whale being struck; their shipmates 
 flocked towards them, and while every one express- 
 ed a similar degree of astonishment with themselves, 
 they all agreed that a fish was fast to the line. In a 
 few minutes, they were agreeably confirmed in their 
 opinion, and relieved from suspense, by the rising 
 of a large whale close by tliem, exhausted with fa- 
 tigue, and having every appearance of a fast-fish. 
 It permitted itself to be struck by several harpoons 
 at once, and was speedily killed. On examining it 
 after death, for discovering the cause of such an in- 
 teresting accident, they found tlie line, belonging to 
 the above mentioned boat, in its mouth, where it was 
 still firmly fixed by the compression of its lips. The 
 occasion of this happy and puzzling accident, was 
 therefore solved; — the end of the line, after being 
 cut from the whale first killed, was in the act of 
 sinking in the water; the fish in question, engaged 
 in feeding, was advancing with its mouth wide open, 
 and accidentally caught the line between its extend- 
 ed jaws; — asensation so utterly unusual as that pro- 
 duced by the line, had induced it to shut its mouth 
 and grasp the line, which was the cause of its alarm. 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 179 
 
 so firmly between its lips, as to produce the effect 
 just stated. This circumstance took place many 
 years ago, but a similar one occurred in the year 
 1814. 
 
 A harpooner, belonging to the Prince of Brazil, 
 of Hull, had struck a small fish. It descended, and 
 remained for some time quiet, and atlength appeared 
 to be drowned. The strain on the line being then con- 
 siderable, it was taken to the ship, with a view of 
 heaving the fish up. The force requisite for perform- 
 ing this operation, was extremely various; sometimes, 
 the line came in with ease, at others, a quantity was 
 withdrawn with great force and rapidity. As such, 
 it appeared evident that the fish was yet alive. 
 The heaving, however, was persisted in, and after 
 the greater part of the lines had been drawn on board, 
 a dead fish appeared at the surface, secured by 
 several turns of the line round its body. It was 
 disentangled with difficulty, and was confidently 
 believed to be the whale they had struck. But 
 when the line was cleared from the fish, it proved 
 to be merely the “ bight,” for the end still hung 
 perpendicularly downward. What was then their 
 surprise to find that it was still pulled away with 
 considerable force. The capstern was again resort- 
 ed to, and shortly afterwards, they hove up, also 
 dead, the fish originally struck, with the har- 
 poon still fast. Hence it appeared, that the fish 
 first drawn up, had got accidentally entangled with 
 the line, and in its struggles to escape, had still fur- 
 
180 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 ther involved itself, by winding the line repeatedly 
 round its body. The first fish entangled, as was 
 suspected, had long been dead; and it was this lucky 
 interloper, that occasioned the jerks and other sin- 
 gular efiects observed on the line. 
 
 iterations produced in the manner of conducting the 
 Fishery, by peculiar Circumstances of Situation 
 and Weather. 
 
 Hitherto I have only attempted to describe the 
 method adopted for the capture of whales, under fa- 
 vourable circumstances, such as occur in open water 
 or amongst open ice in fine weather; as, however, 
 this method is subject to various alterations, when 
 the situation and circumstances are peculiar, I shall 
 venture a few remarks on the subject. 
 
 1. Pack-fishirig . — The borders of close packs of 
 drift ice are frequently a favourite resort of large 
 whales. To attack them in such a situation, subjects 
 the fisher to great risk in his lines and boats, as well 
 as uncertainty in effecting their capture. When a 
 considerable swell prevails on the borders of the 
 ice, the whales, on being struck, will sometimes re- 
 cede from the pack, and become the prize of their 
 assailers; but most generally flee to it for shelter, 
 and frequently make their escape. To guard against 
 the loss of lines as much as possible, it is pretty 
 usual either to strike two harpoons from different 
 boats at the same moment, or to bridle the lines of 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 181 
 
 a second boat upon those of the boat from which 
 the fish is struck. This operation consists in fixing 
 other lines to those of the fast-boat at some distance 
 from the harpoon, so that there is only one harpoon 
 and one line immediately attached to the fish, but 
 the double strength of a line from the place of their 
 junction to the boats. Hence, should fish flee di- 
 rectly into the ice, and proceed to an inaccessible 
 distance, the two boats, bearing an equalstra in on 
 each of their lines, can at pleasure draw the har- 
 poon, or break the single part of the line immedi- 
 ately connected with it, and in either case, secure 
 themselves against any considerable loss. 
 
 When a pack, for its compactness, prevents boats 
 from penetrating, the men travel over the ice, leap- 
 ing from piece to piece, in pursuit of the entangled 
 whale. In this pursuit, they carry lances with them 
 and sometimes harpoons, with which, whenever 
 they can approach the fish, they attack it, and if 
 they succeed in killing it, they drag it towards the 
 exterior margin of the ice, by means of the line 
 fastened to the harpoon with which it was origin- 
 ally struck. In such cases, it is generally an object 
 of importance to sink it beneath the ice; for efiect- 
 ing which purpose, each lobe of the tail is divided 
 from the body, excepting a small portion of the edge, 
 from which it hangs pendulous in the water. If it 
 still floats, bags of sand, kedges or small cannon, 
 are suspended by a block on the bight of the line, 
 wherewith the buoyancy of the dead whale is usu- 
 
18 S 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 ally overcome. It then sinks, and is easily hauled 
 out by the line into the open sea. 
 
 To particularize all the variety of pack fishing, 
 arising from winds and weather, size of the fish, state 
 and peculiarities of the ice, &c. would require more 
 space than the interest of the subject, to general 
 readers, would justify. I shall, therefore, only re- 
 mark, that pack-fishing is, on the whole, the most 
 troublesome and dangerous of all others; — that in- 
 stances have occurred of fish having been entangled 
 during 40 or 50 hours, and have escaped after 
 all; — and that other instances are remembered, of 
 ships having lost the greater part of their stock of 
 lines, several of their boats, and sometimes, though 
 happily, less commonly, some individuals of their 
 crews. 
 
 3. Field-fishing . — The fishery for whales, when 
 conducted at the margin of those wonderful sheets 
 of solid ice, called fields, is, when the weather is 
 fine, and the refuge for ships secure, of all other 
 situations which the fishery of Greenland presents, 
 the most agreeable and sometimes the most produc- 
 tive. A fish struck at the margin of a large field of 
 ice, generally descends obliquely beneath it, takes 
 four to eight lines from the fast-boat, and then re- 
 turns exhausted to the edge. It is then attacked in 
 the usual way, with harpoons and lances, and is 
 easily killed. There is one evident advantage in 
 field-fishing, which is this: When the fast-boat lies 
 at the edge of a firm unbroken field, and the 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 183 
 
 line proceeds in an angle beneath the ice, the fish 
 must necessarily arise somewhere in a semicircle, 
 described from the fast-boat as a centre, with a 
 sweep not exceeding the length of the lines out; but 
 most generally it appears in aline extending along 
 the margin of the ice, so that the boats, when dis- 
 persed along the edge of the field, are effectual 
 and as ready for promoting the capture as twice the 
 number of boats or more, when fishing in open situ- 
 ations; because, in open situations, the whale may 
 arise any where within a circle, instead of a semicir- 
 cle, described by the length of the lines withdrawn 
 from the fast-boat; whence, it frequently happens, 
 that all the attendant boats are disposed in a wrong 
 direction, and the fish recovers its breath, breaks 
 loose, and escapes before any of them can secure it 
 by a second harpoon. Hence, Avhen a ship fishes at a 
 field with an ordinary crew, and six or seven boats, 
 two of the largest fish may be struck at the same 
 time with every prospect of success; while the same 
 force attempting the capture of two at once in an 
 open situation, will, not unfrequently, occasion the 
 loss of both. There have indeed been instances of 
 a ship’s crew, with seven boats, striking at a field, 
 six fish at the same time, and of success in killing 
 the whole. Generally speaking, six boats at a field 
 are capable of performing the same execution as 
 near twice that number in open situations. Besides, 
 fields sometimes aflbrd an opportunity of fishing, 
 when in any other situation there can be little or no 
 
184 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 chance of success, or, indeed, when to lish else- 
 where is utterly impracticable. Thus calms, storms, 
 and fogs, are great annoyances in the fishery in gene- 
 ral, and frequently prevent it altogether; but at 
 fields the fishery goes on under any of these disad- 
 vantages. As there are several important advan- 
 tages attending the fishery at fields, so, likewise, 
 there are some serious disadvantages, chiefly relat- 
 ing to the safety of the ships engaged in the occu- 
 pation. The motions of fields are rapid, various, 
 and unaccountable, and the power with which they 
 approach each other, and squeeze every resisting 
 object, immense, — hence occasionally vast mischief 
 is produced, which it is not always in the power of 
 the most skilful and attentive master to foresee and 
 prevent. 
 
 Such are the principal advantages and disad- 
 vantages of fields of ice to the whale-fishers. The 
 advantages, however, as above enumerated, though 
 they extend to large floes, do not extend to small 
 floes, or to such fields, how large soever they may 
 be, as contain tracks or holes, or are filled up with 
 tliin ice on the interior. Large and firm fields are 
 the most convenient, and likewise the most advan- 
 tageous for the fishery; the most convenient, be- 
 cause the whales, unable to breathe beneath a close 
 extensive field of ice, are obliged to make their ap- 
 pearance again above water among the boats on the 
 look out; and they are most advantageous, because 
 not only the most fish commonly resort to them, but a 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 185 
 
 greater number can be killed with less force, and in a 
 short space of time, than in any other situation. Thin 
 fields, or fields full of holes, being by no means ad- 
 vantageous to fish by, are usually avoided, because 
 a “fast-fish,’^ retreating under such a field, can 
 respire through the holes in the centre as conve- 
 niently as on the exterior; and a large fish usually 
 proceeds from one hole to another, and if determin- 
 ed to advance can not possibly be stopped. In this 
 case, all that can be done is, to break the line or draw 
 the harpoon out. But when the fish can be observ- 
 ed “ blowing,” in any of the holes in a field, the 
 men travel over the ice and attack it with lances, 
 pricking it over the nose, to endeavour to turn it 
 back. This scheme, however, does not always 
 answer the expectations of the fishers, as frequent- 
 ly the fear of his enemies acts so powerfully on the 
 whale, that he pushes forward to the interior to his 
 dying moment. When killed, the same means are 
 used as in pack-fishing, to sink it, but they do not 
 always succeed; for the harpoon is frequently drawn 
 out, or the line broken in the attempt. If, there- 
 fore, no attempt to sink the fish avails, there is 
 scarcely any other practicable method of making 
 prize of it, (unless when the ice happens to be so 
 thin that it can be broken with a boat, or a channel 
 readily cut in it with an ice saw,) than cutting the 
 blubber away, and dragging it piece by piece across 
 the ice to the vessel, which requires immense labour 
 and is attended with vast loss of time. Hence, we 
 VoL. III._2I 
 
186 
 
 AVH ALE-FISHERY, 
 
 have a sufficient reason for avoiding such situations 
 whenever llsh can be found elsewhere. As con 
 nected with this subject, I can not pass over a cir- 
 cumstance which occurred within my own observa- 
 tion, and which excited my highest admiration. 
 
 On the 8th of July, 1813, the ship Esk lay by 
 the edge of a large sheet of ice, in which were seve- 
 ral thin parts, and some holes. Here a fish being 
 heard blowing, a harpoon, with a line connected to 
 it, was conveyed across the ice, from a boat on 
 guard, and the harpooner succeeded, in striking the 
 whale, at the distance of 350 yards from the verge. 
 It dragged out ten lines, (S400 yards,) and was sup- 
 posed to be seen blowing in different holes in the 
 ice. After some time, it happened to make its ap- 
 pearance on the exterior, Avlien a harpoon was struck 
 at the moment it was on the point of proceed- 
 ing again beneath. . About a hundred yards from 
 the edge, it broke the ice where it was a foot in 
 thickness, with its crown, and respired through the 
 opening. It then determinately pushed forward, 
 breaking the ice as it advanced, in spite of the lances 
 constantly directed against it. It reached at length a 
 kind of bason in the field, where it floated on the sur- 
 face of the water, without any incumbrance from ice. 
 Its back being fairly exposed, the harpoon, struck 
 from the boat on the outside, was observed to be so 
 slightly entangled, that it was ready to drop out. 
 Some of the officers lamented this circumstance, and 
 expressed a wish that the harpoon were better fast, 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 187 
 
 observing, at the same time, that if it should slip 
 out, the fish would either be lost, or they ivoiild be 
 under the necessity of flensing it where it lay, and 
 of dragging the pieces of blubber over the ice to the 
 ship; a kind and degree of labour, every one was 
 anxious to avoid. No sooner was the wish ex- 
 pressed, and its importance made loiowu, than one 
 of the sailors, a smart and enterprising fellow, stept 
 forward aud volunteered his services to strike it bet- 
 ter in. Not at all intimidated by the surprise which 
 was manifested in every countenance, by such a 
 bold proposal, he pulled out his pocket-knife, 
 leapt upon the back of the living whale, and imme- 
 diately cut the harpoon out. Stimulated by this 
 courageous example, one of his companions pro- 
 ceeded to his assistance. While one of them haul- 
 ed upon the line and held it in his hands, the other 
 set his shoulder against the extremity of the har- 
 poon, and though it was without a stock, he con- 
 trived to strike it again into the fish more eifectually 
 than it was at first; the fish was in motion before 
 they finished. After they got off its back, it ad- 
 vanced a considerable distance, breaking the ice all 
 the way, and survived this uncommon treatment, 
 ten or fifteen minutes. This admirable act was an 
 essential benefit. The fish fortunately sunk spon- 
 taneously, after being killed, on which it was haul- 
 ed out to the edge of the ice by the line, and secur- 
 ed without further trouble. It proved a stout 
 whale, and a very acceptable prize. 
 
188 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY, 
 
 When a ship approaches a considerable field of 
 ice, and finds whales, it is usual to moor to the lee- 
 Avard side of it, from which the adjoining ice usual- 
 ly first separates. Boats are then placed on watch, 
 on each side of the ship, and stationed at inter- 
 vals of 100 or 150 yards from one another, along 
 the edge of the ice. Hence, if a fish arises any 
 where between the extreme boats, it seldom escapes 
 unhurt. It is not uncommon for a great number of 
 ships to moor to the same sheet of ice. When the 
 whale fishery of the Hollanders was in a flourishing 
 state, above 100 sail of ships might sometimes be 
 seen moored to the same field of ice, each having two 
 or more boats on watch. The field would, in conse- 
 quence, be so nearly surrounded with boats, that it 
 was almost impossible 'for a fish to rise near the 
 verge of the ice, without being within the limits of 
 a start of some of them. 
 
 3. Fishing in croivded ice, or in open packs . — In 
 navigably open drift iee, or among small detached 
 streams and patches, either of which serve in a de- 
 gree to break the force of the sea, and to prevent 
 any considerable swell from arising, we have a 
 situation, which is considered as one of the best 
 possible for conducting the fishery in; consequent- 
 ly, it comes under the same denomination as those 
 favourable situations, in which I have first attempted 
 to describe the proceedings of the fishers in killing 
 the whale. But the situation I now mean to refer 
 to, is, when the ice is crowded and nearly close; so 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 189 
 
 close, indeed, that it scarcely affords room for boats 
 to pass through it, and by no means sufficient space 
 for a ship to be navigated among it. This kind of 
 situation occurs in somewhat open packs, or in large 
 patches of crowded ice, and affords a fair proba- 
 bility of capturing a whale, though it is seldom ac- 
 complished without a considerable degree of trou- 
 ble. When the ice is very crowded, and the 
 ship can not sail into it with propriety, it is usual 
 to seek out for a mooring to some large mass of 
 ice, if such can be found, extending two or three 
 fathoms or more, under water. A piece of ice of 
 this kind, is capable not only of holding the ship 
 head-to-wind,’’ but also to windward of the smal- 
 ler ice. The boats then set out in chase of any 
 fish which may be seen; and when one happens to 
 be struck, they proceed in the capture in a similar 
 manner as when in more favourable circumstances, 
 excepting so far as the obstruction which the quality 
 and arrangement of the ice may offer, to the regular 
 system of proceeding. Among crowded ice, for in- 
 stance, the precise direction pursued by the fish is 
 not easily ascertained, nor can the fish itself be 
 readily discovered on its first arrival at the surface, 
 after being struck, on account of the elevation of the 
 intervening masses of ice, and the great quantity of 
 line it frequently takes from the fast-boat. Success 
 in such a situation, depends on the boats being 
 spread widely abroad, and on a judicious arrange- 
 ment of each boat; on a keen look out on the part 
 
190 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 of the harpooners in the boat, and on their occasion- 
 ally taking the benefit of a hummock of ice, from 
 tlie elevation of wliich the fish may sometimes be 
 seen “ blowing’^ in the interstices of the ice; on 
 pushing or rowing the boats with the greatest imagi- 
 nable celerity, towards the place where the fish may 
 have been seen; and, lastly, on the exercise of the 
 liighest degree of activity and despatch in every 
 proceeding. 
 
 If these means be neglected, the fish will gene- 
 rally have taken his breath, renewed its strength, 
 and removed to someotlier quarter, before the arrival 
 of the boats; and it is often remarked, that if there 
 be one part of the ice more crowded or more diffi- 
 cult of access than another, it commonly retreats 
 thither for refuge. In such cases, the sailors find 
 much difficulty in getting to it with their boats, 
 having to separate many pieces of ice before they 
 can pass through between them. But when it is 
 not practicable to move the pieces, and when they 
 can not travel over them, they must either drag the 
 boats across the intermediate ice, or perform an ex- 
 tensive circuit, before they can reach the opposite 
 side of the close ice, into which the whale has 
 retreated. 
 
 A second harpoon, in this case, as indeed in all 
 others, is a material point. They proceed to lance 
 whenever a second harpoon is struck, and strike 
 more harpoons as the auxiliary boats progressively 
 arrive at the place. 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 191 
 
 When the fish is killed, it is often at a distance 
 from the ship, and so circumstanced, that the ship 
 can not get near it. In such cases, the fish must 
 be towed by the boats to the ship; an operation 
 which, in crowded ice, is most troublesome and la- 
 borious. 
 
 4. Bay-ice fishing. — Bay-ice constitutes a situa- 
 tion, which, though not particularly dangerous, is 
 yet, on the whole, one of the most troublesome in 
 which whales are killed. In sheets of bay-ice, the 
 whales find a very effectual shelter; for so long as 
 the ice will not “ carry a man,” they can not be ap- 
 approached with a boat, Avithout producing such a 
 noise, as most certainly warns them of the intended 
 assault. And if a whale, by some favourable acci- 
 dent, Avere struck, the difficulties of completing the 
 capture are always numerous, and sometimes proA’c 
 insurmountable. The whale liaA’ing free locomo- 
 tion beneath the ice, the fishers pursue it under 
 great disadvantage. The fishers can not push their 
 boats toAvards it but Avith extreme difficulty; Avhile 
 the Avhale, invariably Avarued by the noise of their 
 approach, possesses every facility for avoiding its 
 enemies. In the year 1813, I adopted a new plan 
 of fishing in bay-ice, Avhich Avas attended with the 
 most fortunate result. The ship under my com- 
 mand (the Esk of Whitby) Avas frozen into a sheet 
 of bay-ice, included in a triangular space, formed 
 by massive fields and floes. Here a number of 
 small whales Avere seen sporting around us, in 
 
193 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 every little hole or space in the bay-ice, and occa- 
 sionally they were observed to break through it, 
 for the purpose of breathing. In various little open- 
 ings, free of ice, near the ship, few of which were 
 twenty yards in diameter, we placed boats; each 
 equipped with a harpoon and lines, and directed 
 by two or three men. They had orders to place 
 themselves in such a situation, that if a fish appear- 
 ed in the same opening, they could scarcely fail of 
 striking it. Previous to this, I provided myself with 
 a pair of ice shoes, consisting of two pieces of thin 
 deal, six feet in length, and seven in breadth. 
 They were made very thin at both ends; and, in 
 the centre of each, was a hollow place exactly 
 adapted for the reception of the sole of my hoot, 
 with a loop of leather for confining the toes. I was 
 thus enabled to retain the ice shoes pretty firmly to 
 my feet, when required, or, when I wished it, of 
 disengaging them in a moment. Where the ice was 
 smooth, it was easy to move in a straight line; but, 
 in turning, I found a considerable difficulty, and 
 required some practice before 1 could eflFect it, with- 
 out falling. I advanced, with tolerable speed, when 
 the ice was level on the surface, by sliding the 
 shoes alternately forward, but when I met with 
 rough hilly places, I experienced great inconve- 
 nience. When, however, the rough places happen- 
 ed to consist of strong ice, which generally was the 
 case, I stepped out of my ice shoes, until I reached 
 a weaker part. Equipped with this apparatus, I 
 
WHALE-FISHEliV. 
 
 193 
 
 travelled safely over ice which had not been frozen 
 above twenty-four hours, and which was incapable 
 of supporting the weight of the smallest boy in the 
 ship. 
 
 Whenever a fish was struck, I gave orders to the 
 harpooner, in running the lines, to use every means 
 of drowning it; the trouble of hauling it up, under 
 the circumstances in which the ship was placed, 
 being a matter of no consideration. This was at- 
 tempted, by holding a steady tight strain on the 
 line, without slacking it or jerking it unnecessarily, 
 and by forbearing to haul at the line when the fish 
 was stopped. By this measure, one fish, the stout- 
 est of the. three we got, was drowned. When 
 others were struck, and the attempt to drown them 
 failed, I provided myself with a harpoon; and, ob- 
 serving the direction of the line, travelled towards 
 the place where I expected the fish to rise. A 
 small boat was launched^ more leisurely, in the 
 same direction, for my support; and whenever the 
 ice in my track was capable of supporting a man, 
 assistance was afforded me in dragging the line. 
 When the wounded fish appeared, I struck my har- 
 poon through the ice, and then, with some occasional 
 assistance, proceeded to lance it, until it was killed. 
 At different times the fish rose beneath my feet, and 
 broke the ice on which I stood; on one occasion, 
 when the ice was fortunately moi|e than usually 
 strong, I was obliged to leave my ice-shoes and 
 skip off. In this way we captured three fish, and 
 
 VoL. III. 
 
194 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 took their produce on board, while several ships 
 near us made not the least progress in the fishery. 
 After they were killed, -we had much trouble in get- 
 ting them to the ship, but as we could not employ 
 ourselves to advantage in any other way, we were 
 well satisfied with the issue. This part of the busi- 
 ness, however, I could not effect alone, and all 
 hands who were occasionally employed in it, broke 
 through the ice. Some individuals broke in two 
 or three times, but no serious accident ensued. As 
 a precaution, we extended a rope from man to man, 
 which was held in the hands of each in their pro- 
 gress across the ice, and which served for drawing 
 those out of the water who happened to break 
 through. Sometimes ten or a dozen of them would 
 break in at once; but so far was such an occurrence 
 from exciting distress, that each of their companions 
 indulged a laugh at their ^expense, notwithstanding 
 they, probably, shared the same fate a minute or 
 two afterwards. The shivering tars were, in gene- 
 ral, amply repaid for the drenching they had suf- 
 fered^ by a dram of spirits, which they regularly 
 received on such occasions. I have seen instances, 
 indeed, of sailors having voluntarily broken through 
 the ice, for the mere purpose of receiving the usual 
 precious beverage. 
 
 5. Fishings; in Storms . — Excepting in situations 
 sheltered from the sea by ice, it would be alike 
 useless and presumptuous to attempt to kill whales 
 during a storm. Cases, however, occur, wherein 
 
WHALE-FISHERY, 
 
 195 
 
 fish that were struck during fine weather, in winds 
 which do not prevent the boats from plying about, 
 remain entangled, but unsubdued, after the com- 
 mencement of a storm. Sometimes the capture is 
 completed, at others the fishers are under the ne- 
 cessity of cutting the lines, and allowing the fish to 
 escape. Sometimes, when they have succeeded in 
 killing it, and in securing it during the gale with a 
 hawser to the ship, they are enabled to make a 
 prize of it on the return of moderate weather; at 
 others, after having it to appearance secured, by 
 means of a sufficient rope, the dangerous proximity 
 of a lee pack constrains them to cut it adrift and 
 abandon it, for the preservation of their vessel. 
 After thus being abandoned, it becomes the prize 
 of the first who gets possession of it, though it be 
 in the face of the original capturers. A storm com- 
 mencing while the boats are engaged with an en- 
 tangled fish, sometimes occasions serious disasters. 
 Generally, however, though they suffer the loss of 
 the fish, and perhaps some of their boats and mate- 
 rials, yet the men escape with their lives. 
 
 6. Fishing in Foggy Weather . — The fishery in 
 storms, in exposed situations, can never be volun- 
 tary, as the case only happens when a storm arises 
 subsequent to the time of a fish being struck; but 
 in foggy weather, though occasionally attended with 
 hazard, the fishery is not altogether impracticable. 
 The fogs which occur in the icy regions in June 
 and July, are generally dense and lasting. They 
 
196 
 
 WUALE-FISHEUY. 
 
 are so thick, that objects can not be distinguished 
 at the distance of 100 or 150 yards, and frequently 
 continue for several days without attenuation. To 
 fish with safety and success, during a thick fog, is, 
 therefore, a matter of difficulty, and of still greater 
 uncertainty. When it happens that a fish conducts 
 itself favourably, that is, descends almost perpen- 
 dicularly, and on its return to the surface remains 
 nearly stationary, or moves round in a small circle, 
 the capture is usually accomplished without hazard 
 or particular difficulty; but when, on the contrary, 
 it proceeds with any considerable velocity in a 
 horizontal direction, or obliquely downwards, it 
 soon drags the boats out of sight of the ship, and 
 shortly so confounds the fishers in the intensity of 
 the mist, that they lose all traces of the situation 
 of their vessel, if the fish, in its flight, draws them 
 beyond the reach of the sound of a bell, or a horn, 
 their personal safety becomes endangered; and if 
 they are removed beyond the sound of a cannon, 
 their situation becomes extremely hazardous, espe- 
 cially if no other ships happen to be in the imme- 
 diate vicinity. Meanwhile, whatever may be their 
 imaginary or real danger, the mind of their com- 
 mander must be kept in the most anxious suspense 
 until they are found; and whether they may be in 
 safety, or near perishing with fatigue, hunger and 
 cold, so tong as he is uncertain, his anxiety must be 
 the same. Hence it is, that feelings excited by un- 
 certainty are frequently more violent and distress- 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 1U7 
 
 ing than those produced by the actual knowledge of 
 the truth. 
 
 Keen and vigilant observance of the direction 
 pursued by the whale, on the part of the persons 
 engaged in the chase, and a corresponding observ- 
 ance of the same by their commanders, can be the 
 only means within the power of each party of secur- 
 ing the ship and boats from being widely separated, 
 without knowing what course to pursue for re-unit- 
 ing them. Much depends on the people employed 
 in the boats using every known means to arrest the 
 progress of the fish in its flight, by attacking it with 
 the most skilful, active, and persevering efforts, un- 
 til it is killed; and then, as speedily as may be, of 
 availing themselves of the intimation they may pos- 
 sess relative to the position of the ship, for the pur- 
 pose of rejoining her. But as their knowledge of the 
 direction of their movements generally depends on 
 the Avind, unless they happen to be provided with 
 a compass, and have attentively marked their route 
 by its indications, any change in the direction of 
 the Aviud, must be attended with serious conse- 
 quences. 
 
 Jinecdotes illustrative of Peculiarities tn the Whale 
 Fishery. 
 
 On the 25th of June, 1813, one of the harpooners 
 belonging to the Resolution, of Whitby, under my 
 command, struck a whale by the edge of a small 
 
198 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 floe of ice. Assistance being promptly afforded, a 
 second boat’s lines were attached to those of the 
 fast-boat; in a few minutes after the harpoon was 
 discharged. The remainder of tlie boats proceeded 
 to some distance, in the direction the fish seemed to 
 have taken. In about a quarter of an hour the fast- 
 boat, to my surprise, again made a signal for lines. 
 As the ship was then within five minutes sail, we 
 instantly steered towards the boat, with the view of 
 affording assistance, by means of a spare boat Ave 
 still retained on board. Before we reached the 
 place, however, we observed four oars displayed in 
 signal order, which, by their number, indicated a 
 most urgent necessity for assistance. Two or three 
 men were, at tlie same time, seated close by the stern, 
 whicli was considerably elevated, for the purpose of 
 keeping it down, — while tlie bow of the boat, by the 
 force of the line, was drawn down to the level of the 
 sea, — and the harpooner, by the friction of the line 
 round the bollard, was enveloped in smoky ob- 
 scurity. At length, when the ship was scarcely 
 100 yards distant, we perceived preparations for 
 quitting the boat. The sailors’ 2 ?ea-jackets were cast 
 upon the adjoining ice, — the oars were thrown 
 down, — the crew leaped overboard, — the bow of 
 of the boat was buried in the water, — the stern rose 
 perpendicular, and then majestically, disappeared. 
 The harpooner having caused the end of the line 
 to be fastened to the iron ring at the boat’s stern, Avas 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 199 
 
 (he means of its loss;* and a tongue of the ice, on 
 which was a depth of several feet of water, kept the 
 boat, by the pressure of the line against it, at such 
 a considerable distance as prevented the crew from 
 leaping upon the fioe. Some of them were, there- 
 fore, put to the necessity of swimming for their pre- 
 servation, but all of them succeeded in scrambling 
 upon the ice, and were taken aboard of the ship a few 
 minutes afterwards. I may here observe, that it is 
 an uncommon circumstance for a fish to take more 
 than two boats’ lines in such a situation;- — none of 
 our harpooners, therefore, had any scruple in leav- 
 ing the fast-boat, never suspecting, after it had re- 
 ceived the assistance of one boat, with six lines or 
 upwards, that it would need any more. 
 
 Several ships being about us, there was a pos- 
 sibility that some person might attack and make 
 a prize of the whale, when it had so far escaped 
 us, that vve no longer retained any hold of it; as 
 such, we set all sail the ship could safely sustain, 
 and worked through several narrow and intricate 
 channels in the ice, in the direction I observed the 
 fish had retreated. After a little time, it was de- 
 
 * “ Giving a whale the boat” as the voluntary sacrifice of 
 a boat is termed, is a scheme not unfrequently practised by 
 the fisher, when in want of line. By submitting to this risk, 
 he expects to gain the fish, and still has the chance of recov- 
 ering his boat and its materials. It is only practised in 
 open ice or at fields. 
 
200 
 
 \VHAT,E-FIS1IERY. 
 
 scried by tbe people in the boats, at a considerable 
 distance to tbe eastward; a general cliase immediate- 
 ly commenced, and in , the space of an hour three 
 harpoons were struck. We now imagined the fish 
 was secure, bat our expectations were premature. 
 The whale resolutely pushed beneath a large floe 
 that had recently been broke to pieces by the swell, 
 and soon drew all the lines out of the second fast- 
 boat, the officer of which, not being able to get any 
 assistance, tied the end of his line to a hummock of 
 ice, and broke it. Boon afterwards, the other two 
 boats, still /ast, were dragged against the brokenfloe, 
 when one of the harpoons drew' out. The line of only 
 one boat, therefore, remained fast to the fish, and 
 with six or eight lines out, was dragged forward 
 into the shattered floe with astonishing force. Pieces 
 of ice, each of which was sufficiently large to have 
 answered the purpose of mooring a ship, W'ere 
 wheeled about by the strength of the whale; and 
 such was the tension and elasticity of the line, that 
 wdienever it slipped clear of any mass of ice, after 
 turning it round, into the space between any two ad- 
 joining pieces, the boat and its crew flew forward 
 through the creek, with the velocity of an arrow, 
 and never failed to launch several feet upon the first 
 mass of ice that it encountered. 
 
 While we scoured the sea, around the broken 
 floe with the ship, and while the ice was attempted 
 in vain by the boats, the whale continued to press 
 forward in an easterly direction towards the sea. 
 
 / ^ 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 201 
 
 At length, when fourteen lines (about 1680 fathoms) 
 were drawn from the fourth fast-boat, a slight en- 
 tanglement of the line broke it at the stem. The 
 fish then again made its escape, taking along with 
 it a boat and twenty-eight lines. The united length 
 of the lines was 672 O yards, or upwards of 3| En- 
 glish milesj value, with the boat, above 150 pounds 
 sterling. 
 
 The obstruction of the sunken boat, to the pro- 
 gress of the fish, must have been immense; and that 
 of the lines likewise considerable; the weight of the 
 lines alone, being 35 hundred weight. 
 
 Se long as the fourth fast-boat, through the me- 
 dium of its lines, retained its hold of the fish, we 
 searched the adjoining sea with the ship in vain; 
 but, in a short time after the line was divided, we 
 got sight of the object of pursuit, at the distance of 
 near two miles to the eastward of the ice and boats, 
 in the open sea. One boat only with lines, and 
 two empty boats, were reserved by the ship. Hav- 
 ing, however, fortunately fine weather, and a fresh 
 breeze of wind, we immediately gave chase under 
 all sails; though, it must be confessed, with the in- 
 significant force by us, the distance of the fish, and 
 the rapidity of its flight considered, we had but 
 very small hopes of success. At length, after pur- 
 suing it five or six miles, being at least nine miles 
 from the place where it was struck, we came up 
 with it, and it seemed inclined to rest after its ex- 
 traordinary exertions. The two dismantled or 
 
 VoL. III.— —26 
 
SOS WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 empty boats having been furnished with two lines 
 each, (a very inadequate supply,) they, together 
 with the one in a good state of equipment, now 
 made an attack upon the whale. One of the har- 
 pooners made a blunder; the fish saw the boat, took 
 the alarm, and again fled. I now supposed it v/ould 
 be seen no more; nevertheless, we chased nearly a 
 mile in the direction I imagined it had taken, and 
 placed the boats, to the best of my judgment, in 
 the most advantageous situations. In this case we 
 were extremely fortunate. The fish rose near one 
 of the boats, and was immediately harpooned. In 
 a few minutes, two more harpoons entered its back, 
 and lances were plied against it with vigour and 
 success. Exhausted by its amazing exertions to 
 escape, it yielded itself at length to its fate, received 
 the piercing wounds of the lances without resistance, 
 and finally died without a struggle. Thus termi- 
 nated with success, an attack upon a whale, which 
 exhibited the most uncommon determination to es- 
 cape from its pursuers, seconded by the most ama- 
 zing strength of any individual whose c apture I 
 ever witnessed. After all, it may seem surprising, 
 that it was not a particularly large individual; the 
 largest lamina of whalebone only measuring nine 
 feet six inches, while those affording twelve feet 
 bone are not uncommon.* The quantity of line 
 
 * It has been frequently observed, that whales of this size 
 are the most active of the species; and those of very large 
 growth are, in general, captured with less trouble. 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 203 
 
 withdrawn from the different boats engaged in the 
 capture, was singularly great. It amounted, alto= 
 gether, to 10,440 yards,^ or nearly six English 
 miles. Of these, thirteen new lines lost, together 
 with the sunken boat; the harpoon connecting them to 
 the fish, having dropt out before the whale was killed. 
 
 After having taken a large circuit with the ship 
 Esk in the open sea in search of whales, we saw two 
 or three individuals, when at the distance of about 
 twenty miles from the middle hook of the Fore- 
 land.-j* The weather was fine and no ice in sight. 
 A boat was despatched towards one of the fish we 
 saw, which was immediately struck. The men 
 
 * The following is a correct statement of the quantity of 
 lines withdrawn from each of the fast-boats, viz. 
 
 Yards. 
 
 From the first fast-boat 13 new lines, (the whole 
 of which, together with the boat, were lost,) har- 
 
 pool! drew. 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 3120 
 
 From the second fast-boat 6| lines; 
 
 line broke, - - 
 
 1560 
 
 third 
 
 do 
 
 05 lines; 
 
 harpoon drew, - 
 
 840 
 
 ■ fourth 
 
 do 
 
 14 lines; 
 
 line broke, 
 
 3360 
 
 fifth 
 
 do 
 
 5 line; harpoon 
 
 drew, - 
 
 120 
 
 sixth 
 
 do 
 
 25 lines. 
 
 do 
 
 do 
 
 600 
 
 ■ seventh 
 
 do 
 
 2i lines. 
 
 do 
 
 do 
 
 600 
 
 eighth 
 
 do 
 
 1 line, 
 
 do 
 
 do 
 
 240 
 
 Total in yards 10,440 
 
 t Charles Island, lying parallel to the west side of Spitz- 
 bergen, is usually denominated the Foreland; the middle 
 Hook is a remarkable ridge of mountains near the middle 
 of the Island. 
 
204 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 were already considerably fatigued, having been 
 employed immediately before in the arduous opera- 
 tion hereafter to be described, called malcmg off; 
 but, of course, proceeded in the boats to the chase 
 of the fast fish. It made its appearance before they 
 all had left the ship. Three boats then approached 
 it, unluckily at the same moment. Each of them 
 so incommoded the other, that no second harpoon 
 could be struck. The fish then took the alarm and 
 ran ofiF towards the east, at the rate of about four 
 miles per hour; some of the boats gave chase and 
 others took hold of the fast-boat and were towed by 
 it to windward. When two boats, by great exertions 
 on the part of their crews, had got very near the 
 fish, and the harpooners were expecting every mo- 
 ment to be able to strike it, it suddenly shifted its 
 course under water, and in a few minutes discover- 
 ed itself in a southerly direction, at least half a 
 mile from any boat. It then completed a circuit 
 round the fast-boat, with the sweep of nearly a mile 
 as a radius, and though followed in its track by the 
 boats, it dived before any of them got near it, and 
 evaded them completely. When it appeared again, 
 it was at least half a mile to windward of any of 
 them, and then continued arduously advancing in 
 the same direction. At various times during the 
 pursuit, the boats having the most indefatigable 
 crews, reached the fish within ten or fifteen yards, 
 when, apparently aware of their design, it imme- 
 diately sunk and changed its course; so that it in- 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 205 
 
 variably made its next appearance in a quarter 
 where no boats were near. 
 
 The most general course of the Avhale being to 
 windward, it soon withdrew all the boats many 
 miles from the ship, notwithstanding our utmost 
 efforts, under a press of sail to keep near them. 
 
 After six or seven hours pursuit without success, 
 the sky became overcast, and we were suddenly en- 
 veloped for some time in the obscurity of a thick 
 fog. In this interval the boats were all moored to 
 the fast-boat, the men being fearful of being dis- 
 persed; but on the disappearing of the fog, the pur- 
 suit was recommenced with renewed vigour. Still 
 the harpooners were not able to succeed. They 
 were now convinced of the necessity of using every 
 measure to retard the flight of the fish. For this 
 purpose they slacked out nine lines, a weight in 
 air of llcwt., while the crew of the fast-boat en- 
 deavoured farther to retard its progress, by holding 
 their oars firmly in the water, as if in the act of 
 backing the boat astern. But this plan did not suc- 
 ceed. They then lashed two or three boats with 
 their sides to the stern of the fast-boat, and these 
 were dragged broadside first, with little diminished 
 velocity for some time. But the fish at length feel- 
 ing the impediment, suddenly changed its course, 
 and again disappointed the people in two of the 
 boats which had got extremely near it. 
 
 Several times the harpooners seized their wea- 
 pons and were on the point of launching them at 
 
S06 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 the fish, when in an instant it shot from them with 
 singular velocity and disappeared. In this way 
 the chase was continued for fourteen hours, when 
 the fish again turned to leeward. But the men, ex- 
 hausted by such continued exertion, together with 
 the hard labour to which they had been previously 
 subjected, at the same time being without meat or 
 drink, and sparingly sheltered from the inclemency 
 of the weather by clothes drenched in oil, were 
 incapacitated from taking advantage of the only 
 chance they had ever had of success from the be- 
 ginning of the chase. 
 
 By this time we had reached the boats with the 
 ship. The wind had increased to a gale, and a 
 considerable sea had arisen. We had no hope 
 therefore of success. As however we could not 
 possibly recover the lines at this time, stormy as the 
 weather was, we applied a cask as a buoy to sup- 
 port them, and moored an empty boat having a jack 
 flying in it, to the cask with the intention of keep- 
 ing near it during the storm, and with the expecta- 
 tion of recovering our lines, and a faint hope like- 
 wise of gaining the fish after the termination of the 
 gale. The boat was then abandoned. We made 
 an attempt to keep near the boat with the ship, but 
 the increasing force of the gale, drove us in spite of 
 every effort to leeward. On the first cessation we 
 made all sail, and plyed towards the boat; succeed- 
 ed in finding it, recovered boat and line, but lost the 
 whale. 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 S07 
 
 On the 28th of May, 1817? the E-oyal Bounty, of 
 Leith, Captain Drysdale, fell in with a great num- 
 ber of whales in the latitude of 77° N., and. 
 
 longitude 5 ° or 6° E. Neither ice nor land was 
 in sight, nor was there supposed to be either the 
 one or the other within 50 or 60 miles. A brisk 
 breeze of wind prevailed, and the weather was 
 clear. The boats M^ere therefore manned and sent 
 in pursuit. After a chase of about five hours, the 
 harpooner commanding a boat, who, with another 
 in company, had rowed out of sight of the ship, 
 struck one of the whales. This was about 4 A. M. 
 of the 29th. The captain supposing, from the long 
 absence of the two most distant boats, that a fish 
 had been struck, directed the course of the ship to- 
 wards the place where he had last seen them, and 
 about 8 A. M- he got sight of a boat which display- 
 ed the signal for being fast. Some time afterwards, 
 he observed the other boat approach the fish, a se- 
 cond harpoon struck, and the usual signal displayed. 
 As, however, the fish dragged the two boats away 
 with considerable speed, it was mid-day before any 
 assistance could reach them. Two more harpoons 
 were then struck, but such was the vigour of the 
 whale, that although it constantly dragged through 
 the water from four to six boats, together with 1600 
 fathoms of line, which it had drawn out of the dif- 
 ferent boats, yet it pursued its fiight nearly as fast 
 as a boat could row; and such was the terror that it 
 manifested on the approach of its enemies, that 
 
208 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 whenever a boat passed beyond its tail, it invaria- 
 bly dived. All their endeavours to lance it, were 
 therefore in vain. The crews of the loose boats, 
 being unable to keep pace with the fish, caught hold 
 of and moored themselves to the fast-boats, and for 
 some hours afterwards, all hands were constrained 
 to sit in idle impatience, waiting for some relaxation 
 in the speed of the whale. Its most general course 
 had hitherto been to windward, but a favourable 
 change taking place, enabled the ship, which had 
 previously been at a great distance, to join the boats 
 at 8 P. M. They succeeded in taking one of the 
 lines to the ship, which was made fast to the ship, 
 with a view of retarding its flight. They then furl- 
 ed the top-gallant-sails, and lowered the top-sails; 
 but after supporting the ship a few minutes head to 
 wind, the wither of the harpoon upset, or twisted 
 aside, and the instrument was disengaged from its 
 grasp. The whale immediately set off to wind- 
 ward, with increased speed, and it required an in- 
 terval of three hours before the ship could again 
 approach it. Another line was then taken on board 
 which immediately broke. A fifth harpoon had pre- 
 viously been struck, to replace the one which was 
 pulled out, but the line attached to it was soon after- 
 wards cut. They then instituted various schemes for 
 arresting the speed of the fish, which occupied their 
 close attention nearly twelve hours. But its velocity 
 was yet such, that the master, who had himself pro- 
 ceeded to the attack, was unable to approach suffi- 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 309 
 
 ciently near to strike a harpoon. After a long 
 chase, however, he succeeded in getting hold of one 
 of the lines which the fish dragged after it, and 
 of fastening another line to it. The fish then for- 
 tunately turned towards the ship, which was at 
 a considerable distance to leeward. At 4 P. M. 
 of the 30th, 36 hours after the fish was struck, the 
 ship again joined the boats; when, by a successful 
 manoeuvre, they secured two of the fast-lines on 
 board. The wind blowing a moderately brisk 
 breeze, the top-gallant sails were taken in, the 
 courses hauled up, and the top-sails clewed down; 
 but notwithstanding the resistance a ship thus situa- 
 ted must necessarily olfer, she was towed by the fish 
 directly to windward, with the velocity of at least 
 one and a half to two knots, during an hour and a 
 half. And then, though the whale must have been 
 greatly exhausted, it beat the water with its fins and 
 tail in so tremendous a way, that the sea around was 
 in a continual foam, and the most hardy of the sailors 
 scarcely dared to approach it. At length, about 8 
 P. M., after 40 hours of almost incessant, and for 
 the most part fruitless exertions, this formidable and 
 astonishingly vigorous animal was killed. The 
 capture and the flensing occupied 48 hours. The 
 fish was 11 feet bone (the length of the longest 
 lamiuse of whalebone;) and its produce filled 47 
 butts, or 23| ton casks with blubber.* 
 
 * This interesting occurrence was communicated to me 
 
 VoL. m.-- — 27 
 
210 
 
 WHAI,E-FISHEKY. 
 
 Excepting when it lias young muler its protection, 
 the whale generally exhibits remarkable timidity of 
 character. A bird perching on its back alarms it. 
 The fisher, however, is sometimes liable to danger 
 from its fury. 
 
 The Aim well, while cruising in the Greenland 
 seas, in the year 1810, had boats in chase of whales. 
 One of them was harpooned. But instead of sink- 
 ing immediately, on receiving the wound, as is the 
 most usual manner of the whale, this individual 
 only dived for a moment, and then rose again be- 
 neath the boat, struck it in the most vicious manner 
 with its fins and tail, stove it, upset it, and then dis- 
 appeared. The crew, seven in number, got on the 
 bottom of the boat, but the unequal action of the 
 line, which for some time remained entangled with 
 the boat, rolled it occasionally over, and thus plung- 
 ed the crew repeatedly into the water. Four of 
 them, after each immersion, recovered themselves, 
 and clung to the boatj but the other three, one of 
 whom was the only person acquainted with the art 
 of swimming, were drowned before assistance could 
 arrive. The four men in the boat being rescued, 
 tbe attack was renewed, and two more harpoons 
 struck. But the whale, irritated instead of being 
 enervated by its wounds, recommenced its furious 
 
 by the late Captain of the Royal Bounty, in a letter contain- 
 ing the account of the transaction, as inserted in his log 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 211 
 
 conduct. The sea was in a foam. Its tail and fins 
 were in awful play; and in a short time, harpoon 
 after harpoon drew out; the fish was loosened from 
 its entanglement, and escaped. 
 
 Oil the 3rd of June, 1811, a boat from the Reso- 
 lution, commanded at the time by myself, put off in 
 pursuit of a whale, and was rowed upon its back. 
 At the moment that it was harpooned, it struck the 
 side of the boat a violent blow with its tail, the 
 shock of which threw the boat steerer to some dis- 
 tance into the water. A repetition of the blow, 
 projected the harpooner and line manager in a simi- 
 lar way. One of the men regained the boat, but as 
 the fish immediately sunk, and drew the boat away 
 from the place, his two companions in misfortune 
 were soon left far beyond the reach of assistance. 
 The harpooner, though a practised swimmer, felt 
 himself so bruised by a blow he had received on the 
 chest, that he was totally incapacitated from giving 
 the least support to his fellow sufferer. The ship 
 being happily near, a boat arrived to their succour, 
 at the moment when the line manager, who was un- 
 acquainted with the art of swimming, was on the 
 point of sinking to rise no more. The fish, after 
 a close pursuit, was subdued. 
 
 A large whale, harpooned from a boat belonging 
 to the same ship, became the subject of a ge- 
 neral chase. Being myself in the first boat which 
 approached the fish, I struck my harpoon at arm’s 
 length, by which we fortunately evaded a blow 
 
212 
 
 WHALB-l'ISHERY. 
 
 which appeared to he aimed at the boat. Another 
 boat then advanced, and another harpoon was 
 struck, but not with the same result, for the stroke 
 was returned by a tremendous blow from the fish’s 
 tail. The boat was sunk by the shock, and at the 
 same time whirled round with such velocity, that 
 the boat steerer was precipitated into the water, on 
 the side next the fish, and was accidentally carried 
 down to a considerable depth by its tail. After a 
 minute or two he arose, and was taken up, along 
 with his companions, into my boat. A similar attack 
 was made on the next boat which came up; but the 
 harpooner, being warned of the prior conduct of the 
 fish, used such precaution, that the blow, though 
 equal in strength, took effect only in an inferior de- 
 gree. The activity and skill of the lancers soon over- 
 came this designing whale, and added its produce 
 to the cargo of the ship. vSuch intentional mischief 
 on the part of the whale, it must be observed, is a 
 somewhat rare occurrence. 
 
 Proceedings after a Whale is Killed. 
 
 Before a whale can be flensed, as the operation 
 of taking oli* the fat and whalebone is called, some 
 preliminary measures are requisite. These consist 
 in securing the fish to a boat, cutting away the at- 
 tached whale-lines, lashing the fins of the whale to- 
 gether, and towing it to the ship. 
 
 The first operation performed on a dead whale, 
 is to secure it to a boat. This is easily effected, by 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 213 
 
 lashing it with a rope, passed several times through 
 two holes pierced in the tail, to the boat’s bow. 
 The more difficult operation of freeing the whale 
 from the entanglement of the lines, is then attempt- 
 ed. As the whale, when dead, always lies on its 
 back, or on its side, the lines and harpoons are ge- 
 nerally far under water. When they are seen pass- 
 ing obliquely downward, they are hooked with a 
 grapnel, pulled to the surface and cut. But when 
 they hang perpendicularly, or when they can not 
 be seen, they are discovered by a process, called 
 
 sweeping a fish.” 
 
 While this is in progress, the men of the other 
 boats, having first lashed the tail to a boat, are em- 
 ployed in lashing the fins together across the belly 
 of the whale. I have observed two or three curious 
 circumstances connercted with these operations, which 
 I shall venture to mention. 
 
 On one occasion, I was myself engaged in the 
 capture of a fish, upon which, when to appearance 
 dead, I leaped, cut holes in the fins, and was in the 
 act of reeving a rope through them, when the fish 
 sunk beneath my feet. As soon as I observed that 
 the water had risen above my knees, I made a 
 spring towards a boat at the distance of three or 
 four yards from me, and caught hold of the gunwale. 
 Scarcely was I on board before the fish began to 
 move forward, turned from its back upon its belly, 
 reared its tail aloft, and began to shake it with such 
 prodigious violence, that it resounded through the 
 
314 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 air to the distance of two or three miles. After two 
 or three minutes of this violent exercise, it ceased, 
 rolled over upon its side, and died. 
 
 In the year 1816, a fish was to all appearance 
 killed. The fins were partly lashed, and the tail 
 on the point of being secured, and all the lines ex- 
 cepting one were cut away, the fish meanwhile 
 lying as if dead. To the astonishment and alarm, 
 however, of the sailors, it revived, began to move, 
 and pressed forward in a convulsive agitation; soon 
 after, it sunk in the water to some deptli, and then 
 died. One line remained attached to it, by which 
 it was drawn up and secured. A fish being proper- 
 ly secured, is then “ taken in tow,” that is, all the 
 boats join themselves in a line, by ropes always 
 carried for the purpose, and unite their efforts in 
 rowing towards the ship. The course of the ship, 
 in the mean time, is directed towards the boats, but 
 in calms, or when the ship is moored to the ice, at 
 no great distance, or when the situation of the fish is 
 inconvenient or inaccessible, the ship awaits the ap- 
 proach of the fish. 
 
 The fish having reached the ship, is taken to the 
 larboard side, arranged and secured for flensing. 
 For the performance of this operation, a variety of 
 knifes and other instruments is requisite. 
 
 Towards the stern of the ship, the head of the 
 fish is directed; and the tail, which is first cut off, 
 sent abreast of the fore chains. The smallest or 
 posterior part of the whale’s body, where the 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 215 
 
 tail is united, is called the rump, and the extremity 
 or anterior part of the liead is drawn in an opposite 
 direction by means of the nose tackles. Hence, 
 the body of the fish is forcibly extended. The 
 right-side fin, being next the ship, is lashed upward 
 towards the gunnel. A band of blubber, two or 
 three feet in width, encircling a fish’s body, and 
 lying between tlie fins and the head, being the 
 fat of the neck, or what corresponds to the neck in 
 other animals, is called the Tcent, because by means 
 of it the fish is turned over or Tcented. In the com- 
 mencement of this band of fat or kent is fixed the 
 lower extremity of a combination of powerful blocks, 
 called the kent purchase. Its upper extremity is 
 fixed round the head of the main mast, and its fall 
 or rope, is applied to the windlass, drawn tight, and 
 the upper surface of the fish rising several inches 
 above the water. The enormous weight of a whale 
 prevents the possibility of raising it more than one 
 fourth, or one fifth part out of the water, except, 
 indeed, when it has been some days dead, in which 
 case it swells in consequence of air generated by 
 putrefaction, until one third of its bulk, appears 
 above the surface; the fish then lying belly upwainis, 
 extended and well secured, is ready for the opera- 
 tion of flensing. 
 
 Process of Flensing. 
 
 After the whale is properly secured along side of 
 the ship, the harpooners, having their feet armed 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 SI 6 
 
 with spurs, to prevent them from slipping, descend 
 upon the fish. Two boats, each of which is under 
 the guidance of one or two boys, attend upon them, 
 and serve to hold all their knives, and other appa- 
 ratus. Thus provided, the harpoouers, directed 
 by the specksione r,* divide the fat into oblong 
 pieces, or slips,’’ by means of blubber spades” 
 and “ blubber knives;” then, affixing a “ speck- 
 tackle” to each slip, flay it progressively off, as it 
 is drawn upwards. The speck-tackles, which are 
 two or three in number, are rendered effective by 
 capstern winches, or other mechanical powers. 
 The fleusers commence with the belly and under 
 jaw, being the only part then above water. The 
 blubber, in pieces of half a ton each, is received on 
 deck, and divided into portable, cubical, or oblong 
 pieces, containing near a solid foot of fat, and pass- 
 ed down between decks, when it is packed in a re- 
 ceptacle provided for it in the hold, or other suitable 
 place, called the flens-gut, where it remains until 
 further convenience. 
 
 All the fat being taken away from the belly, and 
 the right fin removed, the fish is then turned round 
 on its side by means of tlie kent, which, by the 
 power of the windlass, readily performs this office. 
 
 *The name of this officer was introduced by the Dutch, 
 and is derived from the word speck, which, in their language, 
 is applied to the fat of the whale, as well as to that of other 
 animals. 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 S17 
 
 The upper surface of fat is again removed, together 
 with the left fin, and after a second kenting, one of 
 the lips” is taken away, which the whalebone 
 of one side of the head, now lying nearly horizon- 
 tal, is exposed. The fish being a little further 
 turned, the whalebone of the left side is dislodged 
 by the use of bone hand-spikes,” “ bone knives,” 
 and bone spades.” These constitute what are 
 called bone geer,” and are used, with the assist- 
 ance of speck tackles, for taking up the whalebone 
 in one mass. On its arrival on deck, it is split Avith 
 bone wedges into junks,” containing five to ten 
 blades each, and stowed away. A further kenting 
 brings the fish’s back upward, and the next exposes 
 the second side of bone. As the fish is turned round, 
 every part of the blubber becomes successively up- 
 permost and is removed. At length, when the 
 whole of the blubber, whalebone, and jaw bones 
 have been taken on board, the kent, which now ap- 
 pears a slip of perhaps 30 feet in length, is also 
 separated, together Avith the rump rope, and nose 
 tackle, on Avhich, the carcass being at liberty, gene- 
 rally sinks in the water and disappears. 
 
 When sharks are present, they generally help 
 themselves very plentifully, during the progress of 
 the fiensing; but they often pay for their temeri- 
 ty with their lives. Fulmars pay close attendance 
 in immense numbers. They seize the fragments 
 occasionally disengaged by the knife, Avhile they 
 are swimming in the Avater: but most of the other 
 
 Yol. 111. 28 
 
218 
 
 WHALK-FISHERY. 
 
 gulls, who attend on the occasion, take their share 
 on the wing. The burgomaster is decidedly mas- 
 ter of the feast. Hence every bird is obliged to re- 
 linquish the most delicious morsel, when the burgo- 
 master descends to claim it. 
 
 When despatch is seconded by ability, the ope- 
 ration of flensing can be performed on a whale, af- 
 fording 20 or 30 tons of blubber, in the space of 
 tjhree or four hours. Flensing in a swell is a most 
 dilBcult and dangerous undertaking, and when the 
 swell is considerable, it is commonly impracticable. 
 No ropes or blocks are capable of bearing the jerk 
 of the sea. The harpooners are annoyed by the 
 surge, and repeatedly drenched in water, and are 
 likewise snbject to be wounded by the breaking of 
 ropes, or hooks, or tackles, and even by strokes 
 from each other’s knives. Hence, accidents in this 
 kind of flensing are not uncommon. The harpoon 
 ers not unfrequently fall into the fish’s mouth, when 
 it is exposed'by the removal of a surface of blubber; 
 where they might easily be drowned, but for prompt 
 assistance. 
 
 Some years ago, 1 was witness of a circumstance 
 in which a harpooner was exposed to the most im- 
 minent risk of his life at the conclusion of a flensing 
 process, by a very curious accident. The harpooner 
 stood on one of the jaw bones of the fish, with a boat 
 by his side. In this situation, while he was in the 
 act of cntting the kreng* adrift, a boy inadvertently 
 
 * The carcass, after being flensed, is so called. 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 S19 
 
 stuck the point of the boat-hook, by which he usu- 
 ally held the boat, through the ring of the harpoon- 
 er’s spur, and in the same act, seized the jaw bone 
 of the fish with the hook of the same instrument. 
 Before this was discovered, the kreng was set at 
 liberty, and began instantly to sink. The har- 
 pooner then threw himself towards the boat, but 
 being firmly entangled by the foot, he fell into 
 the water. Providentially he caught the gunwale 
 of the boat with both hands; but overpowered by the 
 force of the sinking kreng, he was on the point of 
 relinquishing his grasp, when some of his compan- 
 ions got hold of his hands while others threw a rope 
 round his body. The carcass of the fish was now 
 suspended entirely by his body, which was conse- 
 quently so dreadfully extended, that there was 
 some danger of his being drawn asunder. But such 
 was his terror of being taken under water, that 
 notwithstanding the excruciating pain he suffered, 
 he constantly cried to his companions, to “ haul 
 away the rope.” He remained in this dreadful state 
 until means were adopted for hooking the kreng 
 with a grapnel, and drawing it back to the surface 
 of the Avater. 
 
 Process oj Making Off. 
 
 When a fish is caught, or sometimes Avhen there 
 is a good prospect of success in the fishery, even 
 before a fish is caught, the centre of the ship’s hold 
 is disencumbered of a few of its casks, to be in 
 
220 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 readiness for the reception of the blubber. The 
 cavity thus made, together with all the space be- 
 tween decks which can conveniently be appro- 
 priated to the same purpose, receives the name of 
 the fiens-gut. Now, when the flens-gut is filled 
 with blubber, or when, no fish having been seen, a 
 favourable opportunity of leisure is presented, the 
 operation of making off* is generally commenced. 
 This consists of freeing the fat from all extraneous 
 substances, especially the muscular parts, and the 
 skin; then cutting it into small pieces, and putting 
 it into casks through the bunghole. Before the 
 process of making off can, however, be commenced, 
 several preparatory measures are necessary. The 
 ship must be moored to a convenient piece of ice, 
 or placed in an open situation, and the sails so re- 
 duced as to require no further attention in the event 
 of bad weather occurring. The hold of the ship 
 must be cleared of its superstructure of casks, until 
 the “ ground tier,’’ or lowest stratum of casks, ‘is 
 exposed; and the ballast water must be started,” 
 or pumped out of all the casks that are removed 
 upon deck, as well as out of those in the ground 
 tier, which are first prepared for the reception of 
 the blubber. In “ breaking out the hold,” it is 
 
 * The expression “ making ofif,” seems to be derived from 
 the word afmaaken of the Dutch, signifying to finish, ad- 
 just, or complete, referring to the nature of the operation, 
 as a concluding, finishing, or adjusting process. 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 2M 
 
 not necessary to lay open more of the ground tier at 
 a timcj than three or four casks extended in length. 
 
 The water which is discharged from the casks 
 in the hold, provided they have been before in use, 
 gives out a great quantity of a strong disagreeable 
 vapour, consisting probably of sulphuretted and 
 phosphuretted hydrogen, with a mixture of other 
 gaseous fluids, produced by the decomposition of 
 the oleaginous, and other animal substances, left in 
 the casks after former voyages. This decomposi- 
 tion seems to be encouraged, if not wholly produced, 
 by the action of the water on the animal matter; 
 because the same casks, if bunged close, When 
 empty, give out but a small quantity of gas and 
 that of inferior pungency. The gas proceeding 
 from oily casks, having contained water, resembles, 
 in some degree, though vastly more pungent, the gas 
 evolved by bilge water,” or the stagnant water 
 which rests among the timbers of a very tight ship. 
 The gas discharged from oily casks, is usually 
 stronger and more abundant, in proportion as the 
 water from which it is disengaged, has been a longer 
 time in the casks. A considerable quantity of it is 
 generated in the space of three or four months. 
 This gas blackens metals, even gold, restores some 
 metallic oxides, is disagreeable in respiration, and 
 aflfects the eyes of the persons employed in the hold, 
 where it is most abundant, so as to occasion ophtfel- 
 mic inflammation, and frequently temporary bliad- 
 ness. 
 
223 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 While the line-managers, together with the 
 “ skeeman/’^ the cooper, and perhaps a few others, 
 are employed in breaking out the hold, the rest of 
 the crew on the deck arrange all the variety of ap- 
 paratus used for the preparation of the blubber, be- 
 fore it is put into the casks. Of this apparatus, the 
 most considerable part is the “ speck-trough,” with 
 its appendages. It consists of a kind of oblong 
 box or chest, about twelve feet in length, 1| feet 
 in breadth, and feet in depth. The speck-trough 
 is fixed upon the deck, as nearly as possible over 
 the place where the casks are to be filled in the 
 hold. A square hole, made in its bottom, is placed 
 either over the nearest hatch-way to the scene of 
 operation, or upon a corresponding hole cut in the 
 deck. 
 
 The speck-trough is then secured, and its lid 
 turned backward into a horizontal position; in 
 which position it is supported on one side by its 
 hinges, and on the other by screw props or pillars; 
 or it is altogether rested upon several little stools. 
 The surface of the lid, which thus placed, forms a 
 level table, is then covered with blocks of whales’ 
 tail, from end to end. This substance, from its 
 sinewy and elastic nature, makes excellent “chop- 
 ping blocks,” and preserves the “ chopping knives” 
 from injury, when used for dividing the blubber 
 
 ** The officer who has the direction of operations con- 
 ducting in the hold. 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 223 
 
 upon it. Into the square hole in the bottom of the 
 speck-trough is fitted an iron-frame, to which is 
 suspended a canvass tube or “ hose,” denominated 
 a lull. The lull is open at both ends. Its diame- 
 ter is about a foot, and its length sufficient to reach 
 from the deck to the bottom of the hold. To the 
 middle, or towards the upper part of the lull, is at- 
 tached a '^^pair of nippers,” consisting of two sticks 
 fastened together by a kind of hinge at one end, and 
 capable of being pressed together at the other. The 
 nippers being passed across the body of the lull, 
 and their detached extremities brought together, 
 they embrace it so closely, that nothing can pass 
 downward while they remain in this position; but 
 when, on the other hand, the nippers are extended, 
 the lull forms a free channel of communication be- 
 tween the speck-trough and the hold. 
 
 Every thing being now in readiness, the blub- 
 ber, as it is thrown out of the flens-gut, undergoes 
 the following several operations. It is received 
 upon deck by the “krengers,” whose office is to 
 remove all the muscular parts, together-with such 
 spongy or fibrous fat, as is known by experi- 
 ence to produce very little oil. When these sub- 
 stances, which go under the general denomination 
 of kreng, are included among the blubber in the 
 casks, they undergo a kind of fermentation, and 
 generates such a quantity of gas, as sometimes to 
 burst the containing vessels, and occasion the loss 
 of their contents. From the krengers, the blubber 
 
22i 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 passes to the harpooners. Each of these officers, 
 provided with a blubber-knife, or a strand knife, 
 places himself by the side of a closh,’^ which 
 is an upright fixed in the deck, from the top 
 whereof, project several sharp spikes. An attend- 
 ant, by means of a pair of hand hooks,” or a 
 pick haak,” then mounts a piece of blubber upon 
 the spikes of the closb, and the harpooner slices off 
 tlie skin. From the skinners, the blubber is passed 
 into an open space called the bank, prepared as a de- 
 positary, in front of the speck-trough and it is then 
 laid upon the “ chopping blocks,” as wanted. It 
 now falls under the hands of the boat steerers, who 
 armed with “ chopping knives,” are arranged in a 
 line by the side of the chopping-blocks, with the 
 speck-trough before them. Thus prepared, they 
 divide the blubber, as it is placed on their blocks, 
 into oblong pieces, not exceeding four inches in 
 diameter, and push it into the speck-trough intend- 
 ed for its reception, And, finally, the blubber falls 
 under the direction of the line managers stationed 
 in the hold, who receive it into tubs, through the 
 medium of the lull; and pass it, without any instru- 
 ment’but their hands, into the casks through their 
 bung-holes. The casks being closely filled, are then 
 securely bunged up. 
 
 When the ground tier casks, as far as they have 
 been exposed, are filled, the second tier of casks is 
 stowed” upon it, and likewise filled with blubber, 
 together with the third tier casks when necessary. 
 As in this progressive manner, when fish can be 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 335 
 
 had in sufficiency, all the hold is filled, and like- 
 wise the space between decks, — it is evident, that 
 the process of making-off must be tedious, disagreea- 
 ble and laborious. Fifty men, actively employed, 
 can prepare and pack about three tons of blubber 
 in an hour; though, more frequently, they are con- 
 tented with making-off little more than half that 
 quantity.^ 
 
 When a ship, which makes a successful fishing, 
 is deficient in casks, the remaining vacancies adapt- 
 ed for the reception of the cargo, are filled with 
 “ blubber in bulk,” that is, the blubber, in large 
 pieces as it is taken off the whales, is laid skin 
 downward, upon the highest tier of casks, and over 
 this, stratum after stratum, until the vacancies are 
 filled. A little salt is usually scattered over the 
 surface of each stratum of blubber, which assists in 
 preserving the animal fibre, and in preventing the 
 discharge of the oil. Blubber in bulk, notwithstand- 
 ing every precaution, however, generally loses much 
 of its oil. 
 
 A quick passage homeward, with cool weather 
 and smooth sea, are favourable for its preservation. 
 
 * The operation of making-otf was always, in the earlier 
 ages of the fishery, performed on shore; and even so recently 
 as the middle of last century, it was customary for ships to 
 proceed into a harbour, and there remain so long as this 
 process was going on. 
 
 VoL. III. -39 
 
226 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 but under the influence of opposite circumstances, 
 it becomes greatly reduced. 
 
 Py'ocess of boiling Blubber, or extracting Oil. 
 
 The blubber, which is originally in the state of 
 firm fat, is found, on arrival in a warm climate, to 
 be in a great measure resolved into oil. The casks 
 containing the blubber are conveyed by a mechani- 
 cal apparatus to the top of a wooden cistern, called 
 the starting-hack, capable of containing from 3 to 
 6 or 10 tons, into which their contents are started 
 through the bung-holes. When the copper or boil- 
 er, which is a vessel of about the same capacity as 
 the starting-back, is properly cleansed, the contents 
 of the starting-back, on lifting a clougli at the ex- 
 tremity, or turning a stop cock, fall directly into 
 the copper, one edge of which is usually placed 
 beneath. The copper is filled within two or three 
 inches of the top, a little space being requisite to 
 admit of the expansion of the oil when heated; and 
 then a brisk fire is applied in the furnace, and con- 
 tinues until the oil begins to boil. This usually 
 takes place in less than two hours. Many of the 
 fritters or fenks ( the refuse) float on the surface of 
 the oil before it is heated, but after it is boiled off, 
 the whole, or nearly so, subside to the bottom. From 
 the time the copper begins to warm, until it is boil- 
 ed oft*, or ceases to boil, its contents must be in- 
 cessantly stirred by means of a pole armed with a 
 
WHALE-FISHERY, 
 
 227 
 
 kind of broad blunt chisel, to prevent the fenks from 
 adhering to the bottom or sides of the vessel. When 
 once the contents of the copper boil, the fire in the 
 furnace is immediately reduced, and shortly after- 
 wards altogether withdrawn. Some persons allow 
 the copper to boil an hour, others during two or 
 three hours. The former practice is supposed to 
 produce finer or paler oil, the latter a greater quan- 
 tity. Supposing the copper to he filled at four in 
 the morning, it is generally brought to boil by half 
 past five, and boiled off at half past six or seven. 
 It then stands to cool or subside, until about two 
 in the afternoon, when the bailing process com- 
 mences. A back or cooler having been prepared 
 for the reception of the oil, by putting into it a quan- 
 tity of water,^ for the double purpose of preventing 
 the heat of the oil from warping or rending the 
 back, and for receiving any impurities which it may 
 happen to hold in suspension; a wooden spout, with 
 a large square box-like head, which head is filled 
 with brush-wood or broom, that it may act as a fil- 
 ter, is then placed along, from the “ copper*head”f 
 to the cooler, so as to form a communication be- 
 tween the two. The oil in the copper being now 
 separated from the fenks, water, and other impuri- 
 
 *Some persons dispense with the water, believing that it 
 promotes rancidity in the oil. 
 
 t The platform built around the edge of the copper, is 
 called the copper-head. 
 
228 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 ties, all of which have subsided to the bottom, is, 
 in a great measure, run oflf through the pipe com- 
 municating with the cooler, and the remainder is 
 carefully lifted in copper or tin ladles, and poured 
 upon the broom in the spout, from whence it runs 
 into the same cooler, or any other cooler, at the 
 pleasure of the boilers.”- Besides oil and fenks, 
 the blubber of the whale likewise affords a con- 
 siderable quantity of watery liquor, produced pro- 
 bably from the putrescence of the blood, on the sur- 
 face of which, some of the fenks, and all the greasy 
 animal matter called footje or footing, float, and 
 upon the top of these the oil. Great care, there- 
 fore, is requisite, on approaching these impure sub- 
 stances, to take the oil off by means of shallow 
 tinned iron or copper ladles, called skimmers, with- 
 out disturbing the refuse, and mixing it with the 
 oil. There must always, however, be a small 
 quantity towards the conclusion, which is a mixturo 
 of oil and footing; such is put into a cask or other 
 suitable vessels by itself, and when the grossy part 
 has thoroughly subsided, the most pure part is 
 skimmed off, and becomes fine oil, and the impure 
 is allowed to accumulate by itself in another vessel, 
 where, in the end, it affords “ brown oil.” 
 
 The refuse now left in the copper, is hailed into 
 
 * The men employed in extracting oil are thus denomi- 
 nated. 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 229 
 
 a timuel or spout, which conveys it into the fenk- 
 baek, where it remains as long as the capacity of 
 the vessel will admit; a portion of brown oil, which 
 is constantly found rising to the surface, being, in 
 the meantime, occasionally skimmed off. 
 
 A few years ago, my father instituted a process 
 for reducing blubber into oil, by the use of steam; 
 and a similar process has been adopted in Hull, and 
 other ports, and applied to the extraction of oil, 
 with considerable advantage. 
 
 From a ton, or 252 gallons by measure, of blub- 
 ber, there generally arises from 50 to 65 gallons 
 of refuse, whereof the greater part is a watery 
 fluid. The constant presence of this fluid, which 
 boils at a much lower temperature than the oil, 
 prevents the oil itself from boiling, which is, 
 probably an advantage, since, in the event of the 
 oil being boiled, some of the flnest and most in- 
 flammable part, would fly off in the form of vapour; 
 whereas, the principal part of the steam, which 
 now escapes, is produced from the water. 
 
 Some persons make a practice of adding a quan- 
 tity of water, amounting, perhaps, to half a ton, to 
 the contents of each copper, with the view of weak- 
 ening or attenuating the viscid impurities contained 
 in the blubber, and thus obtaining a finer oil; others 
 consider the quantity of walery fluid, already in the 
 blubber, as sufficient for producing every needful 
 effect. 
 
 Each day, immediately after the copper is emp- 
 tied, and while it is yet hot, the men employed in 
 
230 
 
 WHALE-FISHEKY. 
 
 the manufacture of the oil, having their feet defend- 
 ed by strong leathern or wooden shoes, descend in- 
 to it, and scour it out with sand and w'ater, until 
 they restore the natural surface of the copper, wher- 
 ever it is discoloured. This serves to preserve the 
 oil from becoming high coloured,* which will al- 
 ways be the case, when proper cleanliness is not 
 observed. 
 
 The starting-back being previously filled with 
 blubber, its contents are again transferred into the 
 copper, and the fire is applied as before. This is 
 generally accomplished by four, or half past four 
 o’clock in the afternoon. The copper again boils 
 by half an hour after five or sixj and is boiled off 
 by seven or eight in the evening. The men em- 
 ployed in this service, consisting of about six per- 
 sons, alternately watch in the night by couples. 
 Those on watch, commence about two in the morn- 
 ing to empty the copper, which done, they again fill it 
 from the starting-back, which is always made ready 
 the night before. Thus the process goes on, until » 
 the whole cargo is finished. 
 
 By means of three coolers, severally capable of 
 containing at least twice the quantity of oil produc- 
 
 * The palest coloured oikismost esteemed by buyers, and 
 is supposed to be the best; simply, perhaps, because it seems 
 to have been manufactured with care, and appears to be free 
 from any admixture of brown or black oil, produced from 
 the fenk-back, or found in the hold of the ship. 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 331 
 
 ed from one boiling of blubber in the copper, each 
 can be allowed, in turn, to stand undisturbed up- 
 wards of twenty-four hours. Thus, while one is in 
 the act of being filled, the other stands to cool and 
 settle, and the third is drawn off. If the backs be 
 twice this size, or four times the capacity of the 
 copper, every one will require two days to be filled 
 by one copper, and after being filled, may subside 
 during two or three da^^s undisturbed. Even two 
 backs in number, of this capacity, Avould admit of 
 an interval of twenty four hours each, after being 
 filled, before it would be necessary to begin to emp- 
 ty it. Thus prepared and cooled, the oil is in a 
 marketable state, and requires only to be transferred 
 from the coolers into casks for convenience of con- 
 veyance to any part of the country. Each of the 
 coolers, it has been observed, is furnished with a 
 stop-cock, beneath which there is a platform adapt- 
 ed for receiving the casks, when they are filled, with 
 great ease, by the introduction of a leathern tube, 
 extending from the orifice of the stop-cock into the 
 bung-hole. 
 
 At the conclusion of the process of boiling, each 
 vessel’s cargo manufactured on the premises, the 
 backs are completely emptied of their contents. To 
 effect this, water is poured in, until the lower part 
 of the stratum of oil rises to within a few lines of the 
 level of the stop-cock, and permits the greater part 
 of the oil to escape. The quantity left, amounts, 
 perhaps, to half an inch, or an inch in depth. To 
 
232 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 recover this oil without waste requires a little ad- 
 dress. A deal-board, in length a little exceeding 
 the breadth of the cooler, is introduced at one end, 
 a little diagonally, and placed edgewise in its con- 
 tents. The ends of the board being covered with 
 flannel, when pressed forcibly against the two op- 
 posite sides of the cooler, prevent the oil from cir- 
 culating past. The board is then advanced slowly 
 forward, towards the part of the back, where the 
 stop-cock is placed; and in its progress, (the ends 
 being kept close to the side of the cooler, and the 
 upper edge a little above the surface of the oil,) all 
 the oil is now collected by tile board, while the wa- 
 ter has a free circulation beneath it. When the oil 
 accumulates to the depth of the board, its further 
 motion is suspended, until the oil, thus collected, 
 is drawn ofif. Another similar board is afterwards 
 introduced at the farthest extremity of the cooler, 
 and passed forward in the same manner, whereby 
 the little oil which escapes the first is collected. 
 N ow the remnant, which still refuses to run olf by 
 the orifice of the stop-cock, being collected in a cor- 
 ner, is taken up by sidmmers; and the footing or 
 sediment which appears at the last, is disposed of 
 in the same way as the footing from the copper, un- 
 til the oil it contains rises to the surface and can be 
 removed. 
 
 In most of the out-ports, the oil is generally de- 
 posited in casks, in which it remains until it is dis- 
 posed of by the importers. In London, however, 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 S33 
 
 and in some concerns in Hull and other ports, the 
 speculators in the whale fishery are provided with 
 cisterns or tanks, wherein they can deposit their 
 oil, and preserve it until a convenient time for sell- 
 ing, without being subject to the waste which usu- 
 ally takes place when it is put into casks. From 
 these cisterns, any quantity can be drawn off at 
 pleasure. 
 
 The smell of oil, during its extraction, is un- 
 doubtedly disagreeable; but, perhaps, not more so 
 than the vapour arising from any otlier substance 
 submitted to the action of heat when in a putrid 
 state. The prevailing opinion, however, that a 
 whale ship must always give out the same unplea- 
 sant smell, is quite erroneous. The fact is, that 
 the fat of the whale, in its fresh state, has no offen- 
 sive flavour whatever, and never becomes disagree- 
 able until it is brought into a warm climate and 
 becomes putrid; neither is a whale ship more un- 
 pleasant than any other trader, until after her cargo 
 is opened on her arrival in port. 
 
 Description of Whalebone, and the Method of Pre- 
 paring it. 
 
 Whalebone, or whale fins, as the substance is 
 sometimes, though incorrectly named, is found in 
 the mouth of the common Greenland whale, to which 
 it serves as a substitute for teeth. It forms an ap- 
 paratus most admirably adapted, as a filter, for se- 
 VoL. III. — —30 
 
234 
 
 WHALE-FISHEP.Y. 
 
 parating the minute animals, on which the whale 
 feeds, from the sea water in which they exist. 
 
 It is a substance of a horny appearance and con- 
 sistence, extremely flexible and elastic, generally 
 of a bluish black colour, but not unfrequently strip- 
 ed longitudinally wdth white, and exhibiting a 
 beautiful play of colour on the surface. Internally 
 it is of a fibrous texture, resembling hair; and the 
 external surface consists of a smooth enamel, capa- 
 ble of receiving a good polish. 
 
 This substance, when taken from the whale, con- 
 sists of laminse, connected by what is called the gum, 
 in a parallel series, and ranged along each side of 
 the mouth of the animal. The laminae are about 
 300 in number, in each side of tlie head. The 
 length of the longest blade, which occurs near the 
 middle of the series, is the criterion fixed on by the 
 fishers, for designating the size of the fish. Its 
 greatest length is about 15 feet; but an instance very 
 rarely occurs of any being met with above 12| or 
 13 feet. Its greatest breadth, which is at the root 
 end, is 10 or 12 inches, and its greatest thickness 
 four-tenths or five-tenths of an inch. 
 
 The two sides or series of the whalebone, are 
 connected at the upper part of the head, or crown 
 bone of the fish, within a few inches of each other, 
 from whence they hang downward, diverging so far 
 as to enclose the tongue between their extremities; 
 the position of the blades, with regard to each other, 
 resembles a frame of saws in a saw mill; and taken 
 
WHALE-FISHEEY. 
 
 S35 
 
 altogether^ they exhibit, in 'some measure, the form 
 and position of the roof of a house. The smaller 
 extremity and interior edge of each blade of bone, 
 or the edge annexed to the tongue, are covered with 
 a long fringe of hair, consisting of a similar Mud 
 of substance as that constituting the exterior of the 
 bone. Whalebone is generally brought from Green- 
 land in the same state as when taken from the fish, 
 after being divided into portable jiinlss, or pieces, 
 comprising ten or twelve laminse in each; but occa- 
 sionally it is subdivided into separate blades, and 
 the gum and hair removed when at sea. 
 
 One of the first importations of whalebone into 
 England, was probably in the year 1594, when 
 a quantity of this substance, being part of the 
 cargo of a wrecked Biscayan ship, w^as picked up 
 at Cape Breton, by some English ships, fitted out 
 for the whale and morse fisheries, after the example 
 of the Icelanders and Biscayans.^ 
 
 This substance has been held in such high esti- 
 mation, that, since the establishment of the Spitz- 
 bergen whale fishery, the British have occasionally 
 purchased it of the Dutch, at the rate of 700Z. per 
 ton.f It is calculated, that at least 100,000Z. ])er 
 annum were paid to the Dutch for this article, about 
 the years 1715 to 1721? when the price was 400Z.J 
 
 * Hakluyt’s Voyages, vol. iii. p. 194, 
 t Macpherson’s Annals of Commerce, vol. iii. p. 51?, 
 \ Elking’s Vievr of the Greenland Trade, &c. p. 65. 
 
236 
 
 WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 About tlie year 1763, the price in England was 
 500Z. 2 ^er ton; but after an extensive importation of 
 this article from New England, the price delined to 
 3501.* aud subsequently as low as 50Z. per ton. Of 
 late years the price has usually been fluctuating be- 
 tween 50Z. and 150Z. per ton. Whalebone becomes 
 more valuable as it increases in length and thick- 
 ness. 
 
 On or near the premises where the oil is extract- 
 ed, the whalebone is commonly cleaned and pre- 
 pared. 
 
 The first operation, if not already done, consists 
 in depriving it of the gum. It is then put into a 
 cistern containing water, until the dirt upon its sur- 
 face becomes soft. When this effect is sufficiently 
 produced, it is taken out, piece by piece, laid on a 
 plank placed on the ground, where the operator 
 stands, and scrubbed or scoured with sand and wa- 
 ter, by means of a broom or a piece of cloth. It 
 is then passed to another person, who, on a plank 
 or bench, elevated to a convenient height, scrapes 
 the root-end where the gum was attached, until he 
 produces a smooth surface; he or another workman, 
 then applies a knife or a pair of shears to the edge, 
 aud completely detaches all the fringe of hair con- 
 nected with it. Another person, who is generally 
 the superintendent of the concern, afterwards re- 
 
 * Macphcrson’s Annals, vol. iii. p. 371. 
 
WHALE-FISHERY. 
 
 237 
 
 ceives it, washes it in a vessel of clean water, and 
 removes, with a bit of wood, the impurities out of 
 the cavity of the root. Thus cleansed, it is exposed 
 to the air and sun until thoroughly dry, when it is 
 removed into a warehouse, or other place of safety 
 and shelter. ^ 
 
 Before it is offered for sale, it it usually scrubbed 
 with brushes and hair-cloth, by which the surface 
 receives a polish, and all dirt or dust adhering to it 
 is removed; and finally, it is packed in portable 
 bundles, consisting of about a hundred weight each. 
 The size-hoxiQ, or such pieces as measure six feet 
 or upward in length, is kept separate from the un- 
 derside; the latter' being usually sold at half the 
 price of the former. Each blade being terminated 
 with a quantity of hair, there is sometimes a diffi- 
 culty in deciding, whether some blades of whale- 
 bone are size or not. Owing to the diminished value 
 of under-size bone, and more particularly, in conse- 
 quence of the captain and some of the officers engag- 
 ed in a fishing ship, having a premium on every 
 size fish, it becomes a matter of some importance in 
 a doubtful case, to decide this point. From a de- 
 cision, which I understand has been made in a court 
 of law, it is now a generally received rule, that so 
 much of the substance terminating each blade, as 
 gives rise to two or more hairs, is whalebone: 
 though, in fact, the*hair itself is actually the same 
 substance as that of which the whalebone is com- 
 posed. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 The Common Wild Cat; or Bay Lynx. 
 
 Felis Rufa, Guld. Penn. &c. 
 
 . (See vol. 1. plate opposite page 203, fig. 2. ) 
 
 It is highly probable that all the species of wild 
 cat described under the names of Fasciataf aurea, 
 Montana, &c., may be correctly referred to the pre- 
 sent, which is the only species, (in addition to the 
 Felis canadensis Geoff. Borealis; Temm.) of whose 
 existence in this country, sufficiently satisfactory 
 evidence is to be obtained. At least we have not 
 been able to find any other in the cabinets of natural 
 history to which we have had access, nor in the 
 caravans of living American animals, frequently 
 exhibited within our vicinity. The naturalists at- 
 tached to the different exploring parties which have 
 traversed vast extents of the American territory, 
 have not been able, by their own efforts, nor through 
 the aid of the Indians, to procure any species but 
 the common wild-cat: we therefore deem it most 
 
240 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 correct to wait for additional observations, before 
 we admit the existence of so many species as have 
 been proposed. 
 
 The common wild-cat stands very high upon its 
 legs, and has a short tail, which is curved upwards 
 at its extremity; which circumstances tend to give 
 the animal an appearance of being somewhat dis- 
 proportioned. In other respects, its physiognomy 
 reminds one strongly of the domestic cat, to which 
 its general aspect and movements are very similar. 
 The residence of the wild-cat, is usually in wooded 
 districts, where it preys upon birds, squirrels, and 
 other small animals, which are taken by surprise, 
 according to the manner of all the animals belong- 
 ing to the genus Felis. 
 
 The common wild-cat is about two feet long, and 
 twelve or thirteen inches in circumference. The 
 tail but little surpasses three inches in length. 
 
 The general colour of the pelage, is a deep red- 
 dish, mingled with small spots of blackish brown; 
 the inferior parts of the body and throat, as well as 
 the inferior surface of the tail are white, or whitish. 
 Numerous small, nearly vertical streaks of black, 
 are to be observed on the front between the ears, 
 and down to the space surrounding the orbits, which 
 are encircled by a clear pale, red, or whitish fur. 
 There are small pencils of hairs to the tips of the 
 
 ears. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 241 
 
 B. 
 
 We believe the observation was first made by 
 Mitchill, that the opossum, Dulelphis Vir^iniana, 
 is never found to inhabit the country north of the 
 Hudson, and we have been informed by a scientific 
 friend, who has devoted an especial degree of at- 
 tention to the subject, that from repeated researches 
 and inquiries, he is satisfied that the observation of 
 our distinguished countryman above named, is cor- 
 rect. This fact appears the more singular, when 
 it is remembered, that numbers of the species are 
 found along the southern banks of the river, and it 
 is well known, that in other parts of tlie country, 
 rivers of nearly equal size ojffer no barrier to the 
 - dilfusion of this species. It is a curious and inter- 
 esting inquiry to determine the causes of this limi- 
 tation; in the present state of our knowledge, we 
 have no satisfactory explanation to offer. 
 
 In relation to the generation of the opossum, 
 considering that this work is destined for general 
 readers, we have deemed it advisable to omit what 
 we have prepared on this subject, and to make tbe 
 facts we have been enabled to collect and observe, 
 the subject of a paper to be published in a work 
 exclusively devoted to students of natural science. 
 
 VoL. III. 31 
 
242 
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 D. 
 
 Wistar^s Fossil Elk. 
 
 (Vol, 2 , fig. and [ in plate opposite page 197.) 
 
 The late distingiiislied [irofessor Wistar pub- 
 lished an account of some fossil skulls, (exhumed 
 at Big-Bone Lick, Kentucky, by Gen. Clark, one 
 of the enterprising explorers of the western regions,) 
 which were presented to the American Philosophi- 
 cal Society, by Jefferson. Among other descrip- 
 tions, is the followdng of the head of one of the 
 largest species of the genus Cervus. 
 
 The breadth of the skull, at its narrowest part, is 
 4.75 inches. The deptli, Irom the margin of the 
 occipital surface to the most distant part of the 
 great foramen of the occipital bone, is 5.25 inches. 
 From the superior surface, immediately posterior to 
 the base of the horns, to the body of the sphenoid 
 bone, immediately under it, 4.7 inches. The length 
 of the crauium, from the centre of the space between 
 the horns, to the projection of the occipital bone, is 
 6.37 inches. 
 
 Dr. Wistar compared this skull with that of 
 ihe American Elk, Cervus Caradensis, and the 
 Rein-Deer C. Tarandus, and concluded, that it 
 more nearly resembled the Elk, at the occiput, 
 though differing from it greatly in the position and 
 proiection of the horns. Aixiording to the measure- 
 ments and comparisons of l)i\ Wistar, this Elk 
 
Comm 021 0 .x. 
 
 '^C.Ttalc Del 
 
 T.Kttxrnx Sc. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 S43 
 
 must have been much largei- than either the Ameri- 
 can Elk, or the Rmn-Deer. The species is doubt- 
 less entirely extinct.^' 
 
 The name of Americarms^^ has been given b> 
 this species. 
 
 F. 
 
 Wisfar’s Fossil Ox. 
 
 In the paper above referred to, Dr. Wistar de- 
 scribed the fossil skull of an ox, obtained from the 
 same locality, which he considered as nearly allied 
 to the Bison, Bos Amei'icanus. The most remarka- 
 ble peculiarity of this skull, is the projection or con- 
 vexity of that portion of the facial or frontal surface 
 between the horns. The accompanying plate gives 
 a front and back view of this skull. The species 
 has been named Bonibifrons.” 
 
 Great Fossil Ox. 
 
 The portion of the skull, and nucleus of the horn, 
 !)elonging to the valuable cabinet of the American® 
 
 * See American Philosophical Trans, vol. 1. new series, 
 p. 377. In the figures we have transferred from Wistar’s 
 plate, the posterior and superior view of the skull is marked 
 with a the profile view with a t» 
 
244 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Philosophical Society, from which specimen, the an- 
 nexed accurate drawing was made by M. Le Sueur, 
 was first described and figured in the annals of the 
 museum, by Cuvier, and subsequently in his great 
 work on Fossil Bones. The drawing renders any 
 detailed description unnecessary. The nucleus of 
 the horn, measures twenty'-eight inches in circum- 
 ference. Though nothing but the fragment here 
 represented is preserved, there can be no doubt 
 but that the animal was of great size and belonged 
 to a species which is utterly extinct. The species 
 has been named Catifrons.’^ 
 
 Bekay^s Fossil Ox. 
 
 We must refer the reader to the 3d vol. of the 
 Annals of the Lyceum of New York, for the full 
 description of the fragments of this skull, and the 
 comparisons instituted by Dr. Dekay to determine 
 the species. 
 
 Dr. Dekay considers that none of the Grenus 
 Bos, now to be found in this country, have crania 
 in the slightest degree resembling this specimen, 
 lit was thrown out at the eruption caused by an earth- 
 quake in 1812, which entirely destroyed the town 
 of New Madrid, on the Mississippi. 
 
 Dr. Dekay proposes to designate the species of 
 Fossil crania to which he refers those of Pallas and 
 Ozeretskovsky, by the name of Bos Pallasii, and the 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 245 
 
 New Madrid fragment he refers provisionally to tlie 
 same. 
 
 Mitchill’s Fossil Walrus. 
 
 Dr. Mitchill has received from the shores of Long 
 Island, a very interesting skull belonging to a spe- 
 cies of the genus TricJiecus. This skull is agatised 
 and in a fine state of preservation. It has been re- 
 ferred to the examination of a committee of the Ly- 
 ceum, and tlieir report will be found in the 2d vol- 
 ume of the annals of that excellent Institution. 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 This work has been delayed by uncontrollable 
 circumstances^ for a much longer period than was 
 anticipated. It is not now the time to offer any 
 apology for the manner in which the undertakiug 
 has been accomplished. In reviewing wliat we 
 have done, it is easy to perceive that much may be 
 hereafter improved. These, and all other deficien- 
 cies will no doubt be indicated by those who inter- 
 est themselves in the execution of such performances. 
 We shall certainly profit by their suggestions, whe- 
 ther made in a spirit of candour or malevolence. 
 
 We liave been as original as it was possible to 
 be, in such a work, unless the whole business of the 
 author’s life, had been the collection of materials. 
 The observations we have had an opportunity of 
 making from living nature, we fear not to have 
 compared witli those made by any other individual. 
 Wherever we have been obliged to compile, we 
 have anxiously endeavoured to approximate the 
 truth, and have faithfully acknowledged the aid ob- 
 tained from different sources. 
 
CONCLUSION, 
 
 247 
 
 It has been our intention to render this study 
 pleasing and intelligible^ more than to discuss mi- 
 nutia of classification; to give the JVatural Historij, 
 instead of the nomenclature of American animals; 
 to impart information to those seeking for knowledge, 
 rather than to prepare a book for such as consider 
 themselves the founders of systems and settlers of 
 moot points in philosophy. If we have accom- 
 plished nothing more, we have rendered it much 
 easier for our successors to attempt the composition 
 of a better work, having saved them the toil of 
 examining a vast number of books, to glean the 
 detached observations worthy of being brought 
 together. 
 
 Reader, I have given thee an xlccount of my 
 intendments and endeavours in this Performance; 
 and if it hath, (as 1 am too conscious to myself, it 
 often hath,) happened, that I have any where fail- 
 •'^ed of my design; if in a long and tedious Work, 
 “ I have, thro’ inadvertency, streights of time, and 
 hurry sometimes of other business, made any balk, 
 and committed mistakes, let thy humanity excuse 
 the humane infirmities of Thine, and his Conn* 
 “ try’s Faithful Servant,” 
 
 JOHND. GORMAN, 
 
s . 
 
 -:? ; V. 
 
 " 
 
 , ' 
 
 , .■>.•■ ;v-‘> .-■; 
 
 *■ \ ' ■■■'• ’ 
 
 ■■ 
 
 
 
 -■'V 
 
 '/. ■ 
 
 i 
 
 1 
 
 
GENERAL SYNOPSIS OF MAMMALIA 
 
 INHABITING NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 BY CHARLES L. BONAPARTE. 
 
 Mammalia are vertebrated, warm blooded, viviparous 
 animals; suckling their young; breathing by lungs which 
 float freely in the chest, imperforated; the heart is bilocular 
 and biauricular. 
 
 In the present state of science, they form the first class 
 of the first type of the animal kingdom. 
 
 GENERAL DIVISIONS, 
 
 Or, view of the natural families of the system, adopted 
 in classifying the North American Mammalia. 
 
 Sub-class I. Quadkupeda. 
 
 Limbs four, obvious: head separated from the body by 
 the intervention of a neck. 
 
 Section I. 
 
 Unguiculata; nails covering only the tips of the digits. 
 
 § Three kinds of teeth. 
 
 ORDER I. Primates. 
 
 Mammae 2, pectoral: penis free: anterior limbs termi 
 nated by hands. 
 
 Tribe I. Bimana. 
 
 Family!. Bimana. Anterior limbs only, terminated by 
 hands: body vertical, plantigrade. 
 
 VoL. IIL^ — —B2 
 
250 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Tribe II. Quadrumana. 
 
 The four limbs terminated by hands. 
 
 Family 2. Simise. Resembling man; 4 incisive teeth in 
 each jaw. 
 
 Family 3. Lemurini. Resembling carnivorous animals; 
 incisors varying in number, shape and situation; nostrils 
 at the tip of the snout. 
 
 Family 4. Dermoptera. Digits of the anterior limbs 
 moderate, robust, all furnished with compressed incurved 
 nails; connecting membrane pilous. 
 
 ORDER II. Cheiroptera. 
 
 Mammse 2, pectoral; penis free: limbs connected by a 
 membrane formed for flying. 
 
 Family 5. Cheiroptera. Digits of the anterior limbs 
 excessively elongated, comprised in an expansion of the 
 naked membrane of the flanks, thumb free, but not oppos- 
 able. 
 
 ORDER III. Fer^. 
 
 Mammse abdominal, numerous; penis attached to the 
 belly; limbs free, formed for walking; the anterior not 
 terminating by hands. 
 
 Family 6. Insectivora. Plantigrade; no carnivorous 
 teeth; false molars acute; 3 or 4 tuberculous grinders on 
 each side of bo.th jaws; from one to six incisors. 
 
 Family 7. Carnivera. Last molar, at least, tuberculous; 
 2 strong canine, and six incisive teeth above and below. 
 
 * Plantigrada. ** Digitigrada. 
 
 Family 8. Marsupialia. Females with a pouch; both 
 sexes furnished with marsupial bones: hind thumb destitute 
 of nail: opposable; sometimes wanting. 
 
 * 2 canines and several small incisors above and below. 
 
 No canine below — at least 6 incisors above. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 251 
 
 ORDER IV. Pinnipedia. 
 
 Mammae abdominal; penis attached to the belly: feet very 
 short, covered by a skin formed for swimming, the posterior 
 turned backward. 
 
 Family 9. Pinnipedia. 
 
 §§ Not more than two kinds of teeth. 
 
 ORDER V. Glires. 
 
 No canine teeth; incisive 2 below, 2, 4, or 6 above; 22 
 molar at most; jaws moving horizontally. 
 
 * Females with a pouch; both sexes with marsupial bones. 
 
 Family 10. Marsupialia.(l) Incisive 2 or 6 above. 
 
 ** No pouch, no marsupial bones, 
 t Clavicles distinct omnivorous. 
 
 Family 11. Murina. 
 
 tt Clavicles rudimental. Herbivorous. 
 
 Family 12. Aculeata. Skin covered with prickles; up- 
 per incisors 2; toes 4-5. 
 
 Family 13. Duplicidentata. Skin covered with hair; 
 upper incisors 4, (6 in young subjects;) toes 5-4. 
 
 Family 14. Subungulata. Skin covered with hair; upper 
 incisors 2; molars 16; posterior toes 3 or 5, but lateral each 
 side, very small. 
 
 * 5 toed. ** 4-3 toed. 
 
 ORDER VI. Bruta. 
 
 No canine nor incisor teeth; (except in one genus in 
 which there are 4 below;) from 14 to 9S molars, or none; 
 nails enveloping the extremities of the digits, almost hoop 
 shaped. 
 
 (1) We scatter the marsupial animals, as naturally they should be sepa- 
 rated: their resemblance being merely of analogy and not of affinity, 
 two things often confounded in natural history. 
 
252 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Family 15. Tardigrada. All having teeth; 18 molars 
 at most; no incisors; snout short; limbs much elongated. 
 
 Family 16. EfFodientia. Some edentous; some having 
 incisors; molars from 26 to 98; snout elongated; limbs well 
 proportioned to the body. 
 
 * Incisors and molars. ** Molars. *** No teeth at all. 
 
 i Ungulata. Vermilinguia. 
 
 Section II. Ungulata. 
 
 Nails hoof-shaped, covering the last phalanges of the 
 digits: no clavicles; the fore-arm always in a state of pro- 
 nation. 
 
 ORDER VII. Pecora. 
 
 Rarely three kinds of teeth; no incisors above; feet didac- 
 tyle, with two hoofs; the metacarpal and metatarsal bones 
 united; four stomachs; ruminating. 
 
 Family 17. Cavicornia. No canine teeth; both sexes 
 having permanent horns, composed of a solid nucleus, grow- 
 ing from the frontal bones, and of an elastic thin case. 
 
 * Lacrymatories; nucleus entirely solid. ** No lacryma- 
 tories; nucleus cellulous. 
 
 Family 18. Devexa. No canine teeth; both sexes with 
 permanent solid horns covered by a skin. 
 
 Family 19. Capreoli. No canine teeth; in general the 
 males only having caducous solid, branched horns, cover- 
 ed at least for a time by a hirsute skin. 
 
 Family 20. Tylopoda. With canine teeth; hornless. 
 
 ORDER VIII. Bellua. 
 
 Generally three kinds of teeth; stomach simple; or di- 
 vided into several pouches, but not for rumination. 
 
 Family 21. Solidungula. Feet apparently monodac- 
 tyle. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 253 
 
 Family 22 . Fissipedes. Toes 3 or 4, but in the inter- 
 mediaries approximated; others 4-3 toed. 
 
 * Toes 4—3. *^Toes 4-4 Toes 2 - 2 . 
 
 Family 23 . Pachydermata. Feet pentadactyle or tri- 
 dactyle, the other digits being rudimental; digits only per- 
 ceived externally, &c. 
 
 * Pentadactyla, (Proboscida.) ** Tridactyla. 
 
 Sub-class II. Bipeda. 
 
 No hind limbs; (merely indicated by bones.) Fore limbs 
 fins; neck not distinct from the body; body pisciform, ter- 
 minating in a cartilaginous horizontal fin-shaped tail. ' 
 
 (Live in the water; have no external ears, nor hair on 
 the body. 
 
 ORDER IX. Cete. 
 
 Family 24. Sirenia. Mammae pectoral; no blow-holes. 
 
 Family 25. Hydraula. Mammae inguinal; with blow- 
 holes. 
 
ANALYTICAL TABLE 
 
 OP THE 
 
 NORTH AMERICAN GENERA. 
 
 ORDER PRIMATES. 
 
 FAMILY BIMANA. 
 
 Genus 1. Homo. 
 
 ORDER CHEIROPTERA. 
 
 FAMILY CHEIROPTERA. 
 
 Genus 2. VespertHio. 
 
 ORDER FERA^. 
 
 FAMILY INSECTIVORA. 
 
 Genus 3. Sorex. Ears short, rounded. 
 
 Genus 4. Scalops. No external ears: snout simple. 
 
 Genus 5. Condjilura. No external ears: snout stellated. 
 
 FAMILY CARNIVORA. 
 
 * Plantigrada. Treading on the whole sole of the foot. 
 
 Genus 6. Ursus. Seven molar on each side: tail short: no anal odo- 
 riferous follicules. 
 
 Genus 7. Procyon. Six molars on each side: tail very long, pilous: no 
 anal foUicules. 
 
 Genus 8. Meles. Five molars on each side: tail short, pilous: an anal 
 pouch filled with fetid unctuous substance. 
 
 Genus 9. Gulo. Five molarsabove, six below on eachside: tailmoder- 
 ate or short: two folds of the skin near the anus, but no 
 anal pouch. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 255 
 
 •* Digitigrada. Treading on the extremities of their digits, 
 a. Only one tuberculous behind the upper carnivorous tooth : 
 body much elongated, vermiform: feet short. 
 
 Genus 10. Mustela. Toes cleft: tail moderate and bushy. 
 
 Genus 11. Mephitis. Toes cleft: tail long and bushy or wanting. 
 
 Genus 12. Lutra. Toes palmated. 
 
 h. Two tuberculous behind the upper carnivorous tooth. 
 
 Genus 13. Canis. Feet5 — 4 toed; nails not retractile: tongue smooth, 
 c. No small tooth behind the inferior large molar. 
 
 Genus 14. Felis. Feet 5 — 4 toed: nails retractile: tongue prickly. 
 
 FAMILY MARS UPI ALIA. 
 
 Genus 15. Didelphis. 
 
 ORDER PINNIPEDIA. 
 
 FAMILY PINNIPEDIA. 
 
 Genus 16. Phoca. Both jaws furnished v/ith incisive and canine teeth. 
 
 Genus 17. Trichecus. No incisors nor canine below; superior canine 
 greatly prolonged below the lower jaw. 
 
 ORDER GLIRES. 
 
 FAMILY MURESn. 
 
 Genus 18. Castor. Feet five toed, anterior cleft, posterior palmated; 
 tail wide, depressed, thick, oval, naked and scaly. 
 
 Genus 19. Fiber. Feet five toed, anterior simple, posterior furnished 
 with stiff bristles replacing the membrane; tail compressed, 
 linear, scaly, with scattered bristles. 
 
 Genus 20. Arvicola. Feet simple; tall cylindrical, hairy, grinders 
 without radicles. 
 
 Genus 21. Neotoma. Feet simple; tail cylindrical, hairy: grinders with 
 profound radicles, and with small marked triangles. 
 
 Genus 22. Sigmodan. Feet simple; cyhndrical, hairy: molars in each 
 jaw, six, subequal, with radicles, and with deep, alternate 
 folds towards the summit. 
 
 Genus 23. Mus. Feet simple; tail cylindrical, subnaked, scaly, with 
 scattered hairs. 
 
 Genus 24. Gerbillus. Hind feet very long, five toed, each furnished 
 with a distinct metatarsal bone; tail elongated, more or less 
 bushy, but without tuft at tip. 
 
S56 APPENDIX. 
 
 Genus 25. Arctemys. Feet and tail short; nails robust; inferior inci- 
 sive subulate. 
 
 Genus 26. Sciurus. Hind feet turned towards each other; nails very 
 sharp; tail lon^ and bush3'^; inf. incisive much compressed. 
 Genus 27. Pertmys. Tail long and bushy; skin of the flanks extend- 
 ed between the fore and hind hmbs. 
 
 FAMILY ACULEATA. 
 
 Genus 28. Hystrix. 
 
 FAMILY DUPLICIDENTATA. 
 
 Genus 29. Lepus. Hind limbs very long: ears very long: tail short. 
 
 ORDER PECORA. 
 
 FAmLY CAVICORNIA. 
 
 * Nucleus of the horns solid. 
 
 Genus 30. Antelope. 
 
 * ** Nucleus of the horns cellular. 
 
 Genus 31. Ovis. Tall destitute of terminal tuft. 
 
 Genus 32. Bos. Tail ending in a bushy tuft. 
 
 FAMILY CAPREOLI. 
 
 Genus 33. Cervus. 
 
 ORDER CETE. ' • 
 
 FAMILY SIRENIA. 
 
 Genus 34. Manatus. Body oblong, ending in an oval, horizontal 
 fin; pectoral fins furnished with rudiments of nails. 
 
 Genus 35. SteUerus. Body elongated, ending in a crescent shaped fin; 
 no rudiment of nails. 
 
 FAMILY HYDRAULA. 
 
 Genus 36. Delpliinus. Head proportioned: teeth. 
 
 Genus 37. Monodon. Head proportioned:. no teeth. 
 
 Genus 38. Physeter. Head exceedingly disproportioned: teeth. 
 
 Genus 39. Balaena. Head exceedingly disproportioned: teeth carti- 
 laginous, or rather cartilages instead of teeth. 
 
INDEX 
 
 
 
 
 
 Yol. 
 
 Page 
 
 Antelope 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 11. 
 
 320 
 
 Arctomys 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 11. 
 
 98 
 
 Monax 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 100 
 
 Empetra 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 108 
 
 Franklinii - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 109 
 
 Richardsonii 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 111 
 
 Tridecemlineatus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 112 
 
 Ludovicianus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 114 
 
 Parryii 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 120 
 
 Argali 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 329 
 
 Arvicola 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 11. 
 
 63 
 
 Xanthognatus 
 
 - 
 
 -■ 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 65 
 
 Riparius 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 11. 
 
 67 
 
 Hispidus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 68 
 
 Fioridanus - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 69 
 
 Badger 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 176 
 
 American 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 179 
 
 Balaena 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 111. 
 
 98 
 
 Mysticetus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 111. 
 
 ib. 
 
 Physalis 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iu. 
 
 137 
 
 Musculus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 111. 
 
 141 
 
 Boops 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 111. 
 
 142 
 
 Rostrata 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 111. 
 
 144 
 
 Bat - - - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 48 
 
 Carolina 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 67 
 
 New York 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 68 
 
 Hoary 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 ib. 
 
 Arcuated 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 70 
 
 Subulate 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 71 
 
 Bear - - - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 109 
 
 Brown 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 113 
 
 American or Black 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 114 
 
 Grizzly 
 
 VoL. in. 33 
 
 
 
 ** 
 
 i. 
 
 131 
 
258 
 
 INDEX, 
 
 Bear Polar 
 Beaver 
 
 Fabulous History 
 Description of 
 
 Belluse 
 
 Bison - - - 
 
 Bos . - - 
 
 Americanus 
 Moschatus 
 
 Bruta - - - 
 
 Cachalot - _ - 
 
 Spermaceti 
 
 Canis - - - 
 
 Familiaris 
 Lupus 
 Latrans 
 Nubilus 
 Lycaon 
 Lagopus 
 Argentatus 
 Fulvus 
 
 Cinereo-Argentatus 
 
 Velox 
 
 Capra 
 
 Montana 
 
 Carnivora 
 
 Amphibia 
 
 Castor 
 
 Fiber 
 
 Cat 
 
 Common whld 
 Cervus 
 
 Alcis 
 Taranclus 
 Canadensis 
 Macrotis 
 Virginianus 
 Cete (Order) - 
 (Family) 
 Cheiroptera 
 Condylura 
 Cougar - - 
 
 Deer - 
 
 Black-Tail 
 
 Common 
 
 Vol. Pago 
 
 i. 143 
 
 
 . 
 
 . 
 
 ii. 
 
 19 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 ii. 
 
 38 
 
 
 . 
 
 • 
 
 ii. 
 
 55 
 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 202 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 4 
 
 
 • 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 3 
 
 _ 
 
 . 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 iii. 
 
 29 
 
 
 _ 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 173 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 93 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 94 
 
 _ 
 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 232 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 243 
 
 _ 
 
 . 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 255 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 260 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 265 
 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 267 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 268 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 L 
 
 274 
 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 276 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 280 
 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 282 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 326 
 
 
 - ■ 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 ib. 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 107 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 305 
 
 _ 
 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 19 
 
 * 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 21 
 
 _ 
 
 
 - 
 
 i'. 
 
 285 
 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 239 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 271 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 274 
 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 283 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 294 
 
 _ 
 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 304 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 306 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 37 
 
 _ 
 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 56 
 
 . 
 
 
 _ 
 
 i. 
 
 48 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 i. 
 
 97 
 
 
 
 
 i. 
 
 291 
 
 . 
 
 
 _ 
 
 ii. 
 
 271 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 304 
 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 306 
 
INDEX. 
 
 259 
 
 Delphinus (Tribe) - 
 Genus 
 Delphis 
 Gladiator - 
 Phoccena 
 Didelphis - 
 
 Virginiana * 
 Digitigrada 
 Dog - - 
 
 Domestic 
 Newfoundland 
 Dolphin Proper 
 (Genus) 
 
 True 
 
 Gladiator 
 
 Elk - 
 
 Wistar’s Fossil 
 Elephant 
 
 Fossil 
 
 Elephas ' ^ - 
 
 Primogenius 
 Ermine Weasel 
 Felis - - - 
 
 Concolor 
 Canadensis 
 Ferae 
 
 Rufa 
 
 Fiber - _ - 
 
 Zibethicus 
 Field Mouse 
 Flying Squirrel 
 Fox Arctic 
 
 Black or Silver - 
 Red 
 Gray 
 Swift 
 Gerbillus 
 
 Canadensis = 
 Labradorius 
 
 Glires 
 
 Glutton 
 
 Gulo - - * 
 
 Luscus 
 
 Hairy Campagnol 
 Hare - - 
 
 American 
 
 
 
 
 Vol. 
 
 Page 
 
 
 
 
 iii. 
 
 57 
 
 
 . 
 
 
 iii. 
 
 58 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 iii- 
 
 59 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 ili. 
 
 67 
 
 
 <9 
 
 A 
 
 iii. 
 
 69 
 
 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 e, 
 
 i. 
 
 191 
 
 
 
 
 i. 
 
 232 
 
 
 . 
 
 
 i. 
 
 243 
 
 
 . 
 
 
 i. 
 
 254 
 
 
 
 
 iii. 
 
 57 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 iii. 
 
 58 
 
 
 
 
 iii. 
 
 59 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 iii. 
 
 67 
 
 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 294 
 
 
 
 
 iii. 
 
 242 
 
 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 253 
 
 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 255 
 
 
 . 
 
 • 
 
 ii. 
 
 253 
 
 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 255 
 
 
 
 
 i. 
 
 193 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 i. 
 
 285 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 i. 
 
 291 
 
 
 
 
 i. 
 
 302 
 
 . 
 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 239 
 
 
 
 
 i. 
 
 146 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 ii. 
 
 57 
 
 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 58 
 
 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 63 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 146 
 
 
 
 
 i. 
 
 268 
 
 
 _ 
 
 
 i. 
 
 274 
 
 
 _ 
 
 . 
 
 i. 
 
 276 
 
 
 
 
 i. 
 
 280 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 i. 
 
 282 
 
 
 _ 
 
 . 
 
 ii. 
 
 93 
 
 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 94 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 ii. 
 
 97 
 
 
 
 
 ii 
 
 17 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 ' i 
 
 184 
 
 
 * 
 
 
 i. 
 
 ib. 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 185 
 
 
 ^ ■ 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 68 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 ii. 
 
 . 155 
 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 , 157 
 
260 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Hare Polar 
 
 
 
 
 
 Vol. 
 
 ii. 
 
 Page 
 
 162 
 
 Herbivorous Cetacious animals 
 
 - 
 
 
 iii. 
 
 39 
 
 Hystrix 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 149 
 
 Dorsata 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 150 
 
 Inclaviculata - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 149 
 
 Indian 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 17 
 
 Insectivora 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 73 
 
 Isatis 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 268 
 
 Jumping Mouse 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 93 
 
 Labrador 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 97 
 
 Lamantin 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 41 
 
 Amei’ican 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 43 
 
 Lemming 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 73 
 
 Hudson’s Bay 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 ib. 
 
 Lemmus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 ib. 
 
 Hudsonius 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 ib. 
 
 Lepus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 155 
 
 Americanus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 157 
 
 Glacialis 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 162 
 
 Lutra - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 220 
 
 Brasiliensis 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 
 - ■ 
 
 i. 
 
 222 
 
 Marina 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 228 
 
 Lynx Northern 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 
 i. 
 
 302 
 
 Bay 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 239 
 
 Man American 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 17 
 
 Manatus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 41 
 
 Americanus 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 43 
 
 Marmot 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 98 
 
 Maryland 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 100 
 
 Quebec 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 108 
 
 Franklin’s 
 
 - . 
 
 
 - 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 109 
 
 Tawny American 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 111 
 
 Hood’s 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 112 
 
 Prairie 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 114 
 
 Parry’s 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 120 
 
 Marsh Campagnol 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 67 
 
 Marsupialia 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 3 
 
 Marten 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 191 
 
 Pine - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 200 
 
 Pennant’s 
 
 - 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 203 
 
 Mastodon 
 
 - 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 204 
 
 Gigantic 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 208 
 
 Meadow Mouse 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 65 
 
 Megatherium 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 , - 
 
 ii. 
 
 173 
 
 Cuvicri 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 180 
 
INDEX. 261 
 
 Vol. Page 
 
 Megatherium Jeffersonii 
 Mephitis 
 
 Americana 
 
 Meles 
 
 Lahradoria 
 
 Mink - - ■ 
 
 Mole Star-nose 
 Monodon 
 
 Monoceros 
 
 Moose 
 
 Morse 
 
 Mouse Common 
 Rustic 
 
 Mus - - ■ 
 
 Decumanus 
 Rattus 
 Musculus 
 Agrarius 
 Musk Ox 
 Musk Rat 
 Mustela 
 
 Erminea 
 
 Martes 
 
 Pennanti 
 
 Lutriola 
 
 Zibellina 
 
 Narwal 
 
 Opossum 
 
 Common 
 Otter - _ - 
 
 American 
 Sea 
 
 Ovis - - - 
 
 Ammon 
 
 Ox - - - 
 
 Wistar’s Fossil 
 Great Fossil 
 Dekay’s Fossil 
 Pecora 
 Phoca 
 
 Vitulina 
 
 Cristata 
 
 Barbata 
 
 Groenlandica 
 
 Fetida 
 
 11. 196 
 
 _ 
 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 211 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 213 
 
 
 * 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 176 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 179 
 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 206 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 100 
 
 _ 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 SO 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 ib. 
 
 _ 
 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 274 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 351 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 84 
 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 SS 
 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 76 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 78 
 
 _ 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 83 
 
 _ 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 84 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 88 
 
 
 
 - . 
 
 iii. 
 
 29 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 57 
 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 191 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 193 
 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 200 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 203 
 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 206 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 208 
 
 _ 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 81 
 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 7-iii. 
 
 241 
 
 _ 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 220 
 
 _ 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 222 
 
 _ 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 228 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 328 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 329 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 3 
 
 _ 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 243 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 ib. 
 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 244 
 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 267 
 
 _ 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 306 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 313 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 336 
 
 _ 
 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 342 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 343 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 345 
 
S63 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Phoca Ursina 
 
 
 
 
 
 Vol. 
 
 i. 
 
 Page 
 
 346 
 
 Physeter 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 93 
 
 Macrocephaliis 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 94 
 
 Piscivorous Cetaceous animals 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 56 
 
 Plantigrada 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 108 
 
 Porcupine Canada 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 149 
 
 Porpus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 69 
 
 Pouched Rat 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 89 
 
 Proboscidia 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 202 
 
 Procyon 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 161 
 
 Lotor 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 163 
 
 Pseudostoma 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 89 
 
 Pteromys 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 146 
 
 Volucella 
 
 . 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 ih. 
 
 Rabbit 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 — 
 
 ii. 
 
 157 
 
 Raccoon 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 161 
 
 Rat 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 76 
 
 Brown or Norway 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 78 
 
 Black* 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 S3 
 
 Rein Deer 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 283 
 
 Sable 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 208 
 
 Scalops 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 81 
 
 Sciurus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 122 
 
 Vulpinus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 128 
 
 Cinereus- 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 129 
 
 Carolinensis 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 131 
 
 Niger 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 133 
 
 Macroureus 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 134 
 
 Grammurus 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 136 
 
 Quadrivittatus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 137 
 
 Hudsonius 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 138 
 
 Rufiventer 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 141 
 
 Striatus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 142 
 
 Lateralis 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 144 
 
 Seal 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 306 
 
 Common 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 313 
 
 Hooded 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 336 
 
 Great 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 342 
 
 Harp 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 343 
 
 Fetid 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 . 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 345 
 
 Ursine 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 346 
 
 Sea-Swine 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 169 
 
 Sea-Unicorn 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 81 
 
 Sirenia 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 39 
 
 Sheep 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 328 
 
INDEX. 
 
 
 
 
 263 
 
 Shrew 
 
 
 
 
 Vol. 
 - 1, 
 
 Page 
 
 74 
 
 Mole 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 81 
 
 Skunk 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 211 
 
 Sloth 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ■ - 
 
 ii. 
 
 173 
 
 Giant 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 ib. 
 
 Cuvier’s 
 
 
 “ 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 180 
 
 Jefferson’s 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 197 
 
 Sorex 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 74 
 
 Parvus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 78 
 
 Brevicaudus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 79 
 
 Araneus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 80 
 
 Squirrel 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 -■ 
 
 ii. 
 
 122 
 
 Fox 
 
 - 
 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 128 
 
 Cat - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 129 
 
 Common Gray 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 131 
 
 Black 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 133 
 
 Great Tailed 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 134 
 
 Line do 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 136 
 
 Four Lined 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 137 
 
 Hudson’s Bay 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 138 
 
 Red Belly 
 Ground 
 
 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 ii. 
 
 141 
 
 142 
 
 Rocky Mountain 
 
 - 
 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 144 
 
 Stellerus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 49 
 
 Borealis 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 50 
 
 Steller 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 49 
 
 Boreal 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 50 
 
 Trichecus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 351 
 
 Rosmarus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 354 
 
 Tardigrada 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 173 
 
 Ursus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 109 
 
 Americanus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 114 
 
 Horribilis 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ^i. 
 
 131 
 
 Maritimus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 143 
 
 Vespertilio 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 51 
 
 Carolinensis 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 67 
 
 Noveboracensis 
 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 67 
 
 Pruinosus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 ib. 
 
 Arcuatus 
 
 - 
 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 70 
 
 Subulatus 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 71 
 
 Walrus - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 354 
 
 Mitchill’s Fossil 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 245 
 
 Weasel 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 193 
 
 Whale 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 98 
 
 Razor-back 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 lii. 
 
 137 
 
204 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 
 
 
 Vol. 
 
 Paga 
 
 Whale Broad-nosed 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 141 
 
 Finner 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 142 
 
 Beaked 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 iii. 
 
 144 
 
 Wolf Common 
 
 - 
 
 
 i. 
 
 255 
 
 Prairie or Barking 
 
 - 
 
 
 i. 
 
 260 
 
 Dusky 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 265 
 
 Black 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 i. 
 
 267 
 
 Wolverine 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - i. 
 
 185 
 
 Wood-Rat 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 ii. 
 
 69 
 
 ERRATUM. 
 
 Page 239, 5tli line, for 203 read 302. 
 
V 
 
Godman 
 
 V.3