Thomas Beale

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     I feel prompted both by duty and inclination to dedicate to you this work on the Natural and Commercial History of the Sperm Whale. Having acquired most of the information contained in this Volume during my engagement in your ships, I could not allow the present opportunity to escape without expressing the satisfaction I have felt at witnessing your kindness towards the seamen and others engaged in your service in the South-Sea Fishery.

     Your care for their comfort and welfare has been constantly shewn in the attention you have paid to the proper fitting out of your ships, so as to render the voyage — which is necessarily long — less irksome and comfortless to those brave men who go out to capture the "giant of the deep;" while the excellent advice and more solid assistance which you have rendered to their wives and families, when their natural protectors have been "far o'er the sea," have formed a striking contrast to the conduct of some other ship-owners, possessed of the same means, but with less disposition to solace those who are so often left friendless and unfortunate.

     But irrespctively of these considerations, your character may be estimated by the incessant efforts you have made to liberate the Negro from the condition of the slave, — efforts which were commenced many years since, and at a time too, when to attempt to break his chains was considered the index of a weak or flighty intellect. As the trusty friend of Macaulay, you fought the battle of the Negro, while others were standing aloof watching the issue of the conflict, and it was not until the enemies of the dark human race began their precipitate retreat, that the wavering friends of the cause flocked around the banner you had helped to raise to share the honours of your victory. And now that the Negro is free, and you behold the hallowed consummation of your just, yet tedious and incessant exertions, I have no doubt (though to such conduct a public tribute is due), that your greatest reward is in your own feelings, independently of worldly praise.

     That you may live long, to enjoy the happiness surely emanating from such generous acts, is the wish of your

     The first edition of this work having been attended with a success which far exceeded my expectation, I have been induced to commit this second edition to the press, with a view of rendering the book more perfect, and more worthy of public attention, by the addition of various new subjects; the principal of which forms the second part of the present volume. I have spared neither time, trouble, nor expense, in endeavouring to render it worthy the patronage of my friends; and although I have not the slightest pretension to literary tact, I do hope that my present attempt may be found somewhat interesting, and even useful, until some person better qualified for the task shall arise, and fill, with a more solid production, the "chasm" which has existed so long in this department of Natural and Commercial History.

     If this new effort should be attended, as my first unexpectedly was, with the approbation of such naturalists as Owen, Cuvier, and Bell, I shall indeed feel myself amply repaid for these labours, which have been pursued in hours that I have wrested from other and more toilsome avocations.

Of the Skeleton
Of the Cranium
Of the Lower Jaw
Of the Spinal Column and the Cervical Vertebræ
Of the Dorsal and Terminal Vertebræ
Of the Spinal Canal
Of the Pelvis and Ribs
Of the Sternum and the Scapula
Of the Bones which form the Fins
Of the Muscles
Of the construction of the Tail
Of the Skin
Of the Teeth
Of the Œsophagus, Stomach, and Intestines
Of the Liver, Pancreas, and Spleen
Of the Kidneys, Bladder, and Renal Capsules
Of the Blood, the Heart, and Arteries
Of the Larynx and the Lungs
Of the Blow-hole, or Passage for the Air
Of the Brain
Of the sense of Touch
Of the Ear
Of the Eye
Of the Sexual Organs
Of the Whales examined by Hunter

Departure from England — arrive off Cape Horn — the Terra del Fuegians — Ildefonsa Isles — Patagonians — Byron's Account — Coquimbo — Shock of an Earthquake described — luminous appearance of the Sea — British hospitality — Feast of the Cheya — the Author is robbed — leaves Coquimbo — Scenery around — Hair-seal hunt — Sea-Lion fight — tame Pelican

Continue our course along the shore of Peru — its conquest by Pizarro — cruel measures of the Spaniards — Retribution

Arrive at Paita — Remarks — Monte Christa — beautiful Birds and Insects — Swallow-like nests of Wasps — Attack upon our Wood-choppers — Road from the Port to the Town — beautiful Trees and Birds — Music of the Birds — Fire-flies — arrive at the Town — beset by the Inhabitants — shocking Diseases — the Mother of a fine Family — an old Woman's Son

Leave Monte Christa — Remarks — kill Whales — Owhyhee seen by our black Cook — pleasant Reflections

Arrive at Owhyhee — wild appearance of the Natives — we land — their conduct to us — we trade with the Natives — alluring creatures offered for sale — the Natives carry our Boat to the sea — their yelling, etc. — we procurre Goats, etc. — a Volcano — Remarks on the Scenery — Sunday at Owhyhee — our reception in the Bay of Karakakoa — conduct of the Missionaries — Religious tyranny — Reflections — instances of religious tyranny — Mr. Platt — Raina — Tahoorawa — Mowee — arrive at Oahoo — large Flying-fish — Water-spout — Dr. Rooke — Kinau and Tuanoa, a Tale of the Sandwich Islands — the White Residents at Oahoo — Watere of the Desert — sup with the Queen Regent — Description — Captain Hinckley — "Madame Poki" — "Old Thunder" — "Tameehama," his amusements — Writing of the Chiefs — Native Letter and Translation — the Major's Table d'Hote — the Pele of Nuanu — Feats of the Natives

Departure for the Whale Fishery — an Apprentice drowned — arrive at the Bonins — experience an Indian Typhoon — its Description — Marine Cave, its beauties enumerated — Sharks — Remarks — Boat Adventure off the Bonin Islands

Departure for New Guinea — the Caroline Islands — Remarks on the Natives — the Massacre of the Crew of the "Falcon" — leave them in a "Squall" — fall in with an unknown Reef — narrow Escape — Fead's Group — Oraison Islands — St. George's Channel — Excursions up the Channel in our Boats to find the Natives — narrow Escape from Surf —Storm ensues — we are exposed to it in the Boats — intense heat of the Sun — New Britain —account of the Natives — Remarks on their condition — see no Whales — shape our course for New Holland — "Lucansay's and Lousiade Islands — Scenery — Noddies — intense Heat — fall in with two Natives — their Fear — tall Cocoa-nut Trees — Mode of climbing them — Accident to one of our Men — we are surprised by the Natives — Bougainville — Natives — we barter with them — their Bows and Arrows — Remarks on the Natives — they sometimes attack Whalers — miraculous Escape of our Ship — she passes over a Reef — leave Bougainville — we kill a female Whale

Make sail for the Ladrone Islands — arrive at "Saint John's Island" — send boats on Shore — Trade with the Natives — their Description — Reflections on their ideas of Beauty — Comparisons — a Dandy Savage — their Women — one of their Young Women approach us — description of her Conduct — a Necromancer — his Invocation to the Storm — we crowd all sail for the "Ladrones" — Reflection on Saint John's Islanders — Scenery — Happiness — cross the Line fourth time

Arrive at the Ladrone Islands — their Discovery — conduct of the Spaniards — Enjoyment of the Crew — the Ladrones — their Sanguinary Character — a Victim — Punishment — Murder of Captain Stavers — Passions of the Ladrones — Oranges, etc. — Toddy-cutters — mode of procuring Toddy — Mosquitoes and English Sailors — Cock-fighting — its Description — a Ladrone Gamester — dreadful Accident to our Second Mate — Tyranny of our Captain — he is wounded — six Men flogged — its bad effects upon their minds — Remarks — leave the Ladrones — the Islands enumerated

We are overtaken by a Hurricane near the Sulphur Islands — lose all our Sails — make the Bonins — go on Shore — plant Cocoa-nuts and Bananas — fall in with numbers of fine Turtle — their capture described — Sharks, Dog-fish, and Devil-fish — they wait to devour the young Turtle — our good living and its effects — North Island — Capt. Younger — a Pig Hunt — causes of my leaving the "Kent" — Remarks on the effects of tyranny on Seamen — Kindness of Captain Swain — Mr. Hildyard — I leave the "Kent" at midnight — Reflections on leaving her — the brave Seamen who were left on board — fate of the "Kent"

Happiness of the Crew on board the "Sarah and Elizabeth" — proper conduct of the Captain — great success attends us — the ship if filled — excitement of the Crew — the last Whale — steer towards the Sandwich Islands — see immense numbers of large Whales — reflections on our enormous distance from home — near Kamschatka — pass the meridian of Longitude — Medusæ — Ianthina Fragilis — make the Island of Morotoi — Mowee, its Church and Fort — Religious intolerance — proceed to Oahoo — Diamond-Point — Dr. Rooke — D. Finlayson, Esq. — Mr. Douglas — his unfortunate death

Leave the Sandwich Islands — arrive at the Society Islands — Enter the harbour of "Riatea" — trade for Shells — fondness of the Natives for Rum — the Queen longs for some — her dissimulation — Picturesque Views in passing through the harbour of "Riatea" — "Bolabola" — its appearance from the Sea — enter its Harbour — visit the King's House — gigantic and intoxicated Natives — fears of the Captain — encounter an enormous and drunken Chief — our conversation on the effects of Drunkenness — I am surrounded with "grim"-looking Beings — departure of a Chief — conversation with the King — sleep in the King's house — bad conduct of the Natives — my Disappointment — Diseases of the Natives —Wounds from Musquet-balls — my astonishment at finding them at War — terrible Diseases — I attend the Sick — my Appearance — a little boy's affection for his sick Mother — a young man is bled — Mr. Platt, the moral Missionary — conduct of Missionaries — their tyranny, and its action upon the Natives — their conduct at the Sandwich Islands, and its effects — their meanness — Reflection — Mr. Williams — Mr. Smith — Thieving and Prostitution among the Natives — they form the plan of seizing our Ship — a new principle of action wanted among the Missionaries — their entire failuree at Bolabola after forty years trouble and expense — The old King of Bolabola and the Native Pilot — the Father of two pretty Girls and the Bible — the Women of Bolabola — their Tattooing — their Hair — their Stature — a Bolabola Girl's Eyes — we are invaded by thirty Women — leave the Society Islands — our Passage towards Cape Horn — prodigious Seas — a Sailor aloft at Night — three Men washed from the Jib-boom — their Deaths — a Sailor's feelings — make Cape Horn — touch at Pernambuca — cross the Line the sixth time — encounter bad Weather in the Channel — make Beachy Head — Reflections on seeing our Native Land — stern Disease has been raging during our absence — we approach Home with faltering steps — the old House — my emotion and fate trade

     It is the principal object of this work to describe, probably, the largest inhabitant of the globe, known commonly under the name of the spermaceti whale, — by the French, as the cachalot, — and by systematic naturalists, as the Physeter macrocephalus, and which as yet has not assumed the station to which it is entitled in the history of animated nature.

     Since the earliest days of natural history down to the present time, the sperm whale has been subjected to constant misrepresentation, referable to the contracted information of those who have undertaken its description, and who have consequently been obliged to compile their accounts from sources inaccurate and false, on which they ought not to have depended, and they should have left a blank in the page, than to have filled it with the results, as Cuvier has observed, "of that heated imagination which leads some enthusiasts to see nothing in nature, but miracles and monsters.

     In fact, till the appearance of Mr. Huggins' admirable print, few, with the exception of those immediately engaged in the fishery, had the most distant idea even of the external form of this animal; and of its manners and habits, people in general seem to know as little as if its capture had never given employment to British capital, or encouragement to the daring courage of our hardy seamen. While the very term, whale-fishery, seems associated with the coast of Greenland or icebound Spitzbergen, and the stern magnificance of arctic scenery, few connect the pursuit of this "sea beast" with the smiling latitudes of the South Pacific, and the coral islands of the torrid zone; and fewer still have more distinct conception of the object of this pursuit, than that it is a whale, producing the substance called spermaceti, and the animal oil best adapted to the purpose of illumination.

     The Greenland whale, or Balæna mysticetus, has so frequently been described in a popular manner, that the public voice has long enthroned him as monarch of the deep, and perhaps the dread of disturbing such weighty matters as a settled sovereignty and public opinion, may have deterred those best acquainted with the merits of the case from supporting the more legitimate claims of his southern rival to this pre-eminence.

     Since the year 1775, in which we date the origin of the sperm-whale fishery from this country, although many thousands of persons have been from time to time engaged in the pursuit, and must have possessed the best opportunities of observing the habits and manners of this immense animal, yet not one has stepped forward to vindicate its history from the absurd and fabulous accounts with which it has been loaded, and of which many instances will be found in the following pages.

     For notwithstanding that the sperm whale is one of the most noisless of marine animals, yet the Abbe Lecoz, in his account of it, gives it the power of emitting terrible groans when in distress, and which he states are so loud and deep, that it is possible to hear them from a great distance; and Anderson asserts, that a cachalot, which was frightened at the approach of his ship, uttered a cry so loud and violent, like the sound of a bell, that it caused even the vessel to shake; and yet all those which have been destroyed by the harpoon and lance, and which have been terribly frightened, and have made the most violent efforts to escape, never were heard to emit the slightest sound, and it is well known among the most experienced whalers, that they never produce any nasal or vocal sounds whatever, except a trifling hissing at the time of the expiration of the spout. But even the Baron Cuvier follows the account of these old historians, and asserts, that "in the combat, fear, fury, or pain draw from them such profound groans, or piercing cries, that their congeners are attracted in crowds from all sides, continue the fight with fresh ardour and audacity, and stain the water with blood to the distance of many leagues."

     From these accounts it is evident, that both Anderson and the Abbe Lecoz, have been mistaken in the kind of whale which they saw, and which they heard emit the sounds of which they have written. Having no doubt mistook the sperm whale for the balæna mysticetus, or common Greenland whale, which I have heard myself produce loud sounds, but which have more resembled the roaring of an enraged bull, than the vehement sound of a bell, as Anderson has asserted.

     While the sperm whale has been quietly searching the ocean depths for his food, and avoiding with the greatest care and timidity the slightest danger or rencontre of any kind, he has been represented by Olassen and Povelsen as the most savage and ferocious of all marine animals; for not only, according to their accounts, does the cachalot constantly thirst for the blood of every fish in the sea, but actually possesses a relish for human flesh, which we are led to suppose they wished to satiate, when these historians assert that they seized, and upset with their jaws, a boat which contained some seamen, whom they speedily devoured.

     If these huge but timid animals happen to see or hear the approach of a ship or boat, their fear is all cases is excessive, and they either dive into the depths of the ocean, or skim along its surface with the utmost precipitation, to avoid the danger of a concussion, or the blow of the harpoon, which, when inflicted, often paralyses the largest and strongest of them with affright, in which state they will often remain for a short period on the surface of the sea, lying as it were in a fainting [p.4/p.5] condition; from which however they recover (if the dextrous whaler profiting by the circumstance, has not mortally wounded his prey), and shew extreme activity in avoiding their foes; but they rarely turn upon their cruel adversaries, for although men and boats are frequently destroyed in these rencontres, they are more the effect of accident during violent contortions and struggles to escape, than from any wilful attack.

     Yet the Baron Cuvier, in the compilation of its natural history, which he has obtained from many incorrect sources, states: — "the terrible arms, the powerful and numerous teeth with which nature has provided the cachalot, render it a terrific adversary to all the inhabitants of the deep, even to those which are most dangerous to others; such as the phocæ, the balænopteræ, the dolphin, and the shark. So terrified are all these animals at the sight of the cachalot, that they hurry to conceal themselves from him in the sands or mud, and often in the precipitancy of their flight, dash themselves against the rocks with such violence as to cause instantaneous death. It is not therefore surprising," says Cuvier, "if the myriads of fishes on which this tyrant preys, are struck with the most lively terror at his presence. So powerful is this feeling, that the multitudes of fish which seek with avidity the dead carcasses of the other cetacea, dare not approach the body of the cachalot when he is floating lifeless on the surface of the ocean."

     From such accounts as these, we might be led to believe that there is no animal in the creation more [p.5/p.6] monstrously ferocious than the sperm whale; not only is his true character of being a quiet and inoffensive animal taken from him, but he is represented on the same page, as the greedy and cruel pursuer of all kinds of marine animals, on which of course we are suppose that he feeds. "There are some, however," obsrves the Baron Cuvier, "among the cachalots that pursue seals, and some are sufficiently audacious to attack many species of the balænæ (whales), especially such individuals as are not adults;" which certainbly represents him as a formidable opponent to all the marine tribes, and we infer, a voluptuous devourer of every animal which is so unfortunate as to wander within its reach.

     But after all these relations, it requires but a little observation and reflection to convince ourselves, now that we are more acquainted with the real habits of the sperm whale, that the authorities of which previous writers have availed themselves in the compilation of their histories of it, have all either wilfully misrepresented the natural habits of this animal, or have mistaken the cachalot for some other whale which possesses these voracious and combative dispositions.

     For not only does the sperm whale in reality happen to be a most timid and inoffensive animal as I have before stated, readily endeavouring to escape from the slightest thing which bears an unusual appearance, but he is also quite incapable of being guilty of the acts of which he is so strongly accused. The formation of his teeth, and size of his gullet are quite sufficient in themselves to prove that he is incapable of devouring the balænopteræ (back-finned whales), and balænæ (common black whales); for it would be quite impossible for him to swallow such monstrous victims, as his throat is scarcely sufficiently capacious to admit the body of a man, and also from the fact of his teeth not possessing the power of separating, or of masticating his food, but merely possessing a prehensile or holding power; for being provided only with a row of widely separated, short-pointed, conical teeth in the lower jaw, and none in the upper, except in a few instances, in which they appear wholly rudimentary, scarcely projecting beyond the gums, he is totally unable to wound seriously, much more to tear to pieces and devour, the body of such an enormous animal as a balæna, even if it were not an adult, or one of the balænopteræ, in which is included the giant fin-back.

     As for the dolphins, seals, and sharks which he is made to chase with ravenous voracity, until they hide themselves in mud, or dash themselves against rocks in attempting to escape; I can only observe with regard to such tales, that the sperm whale is never, or very rearely seen near sand, mud, or rocks, and therefore would not be likely to run his victim so hard; nor can I comprehend the latter's suicidal attempts to rid themselves of the constant harassing which they are represented as receiving from the cachalot. For although the sperm whale at times approaches the shores of islands and other places searching for their food, I never saw them nearer than a mile or two, and these were rare instances; and it is well known to whalers that they are never seen on soundings, that is, where the bottom of the sea can be touched with the "lead," except they happen to be driven over a bank or shoal, as is sometimes the case in the "Seychelle" fishery, and when the boats are in hot pursuit, or by some uncommon occurances, and where shoals and banks are divided by unfathomable depths of ocean. Besides it is not very probable that a sperm whale of eighty feet in length, and proportionable bulk could possess any chance of chasing and overtaking any of the dolphin tribe, seals, or sharks, which move with such dodging velocity as to place at utter defiance the movements of so immense an animal.

     Moreover this whale has never been seen to eject from his stomach, when mortally wounded, any other animal but squid, which is known to naturalists as the "sepia octopus," which is its natural food; except when near the shore as in "Volcano Bay," on the coast of Japan, or in the "Straits of Corea," which join the north Pacific with the Japanese Sea, they are sometimes known to eject fish about the size of a small cod, which inhabit these localities in great plenty, and which, like the squid, in my opinion are attracted into the whale's mouth while he is lying still for the purpose, from the white and glistening appearance of it, rather than by any power which the spermaceti whale possesses of capturing such little nimble animals by the chase; but for further considerations on this subject, I beg leave to refer the reader to the article entitled "Feeding," which will be found in another part of this work.

     And that part of Cuvier's history which states, "that the multitudes of fish which seek with avidity the dead carcasses of the other cetacea, dare not approach the body of the cachalot, when he is floating lifeless on the surface of the ocean," is just as incorrect as any of the foregoing; for sometimes whalers have experienced considerable losses in having had young sperm whales half eaten up in one night by large numbers of voracious sharks, as the whales have been lying secured by the ship's side, ready for cutting in on the morrow.

     Great contradictions and dissensions have also at various times originated among naturalists, relative to the number of the species of this whale; yet notwithstanding the ingenious reasoning of some, and the bold and truthlike observatons of others, with the close attention to the subject of such men as Green, Aldrovandus, Willoughby, Rondelet, Artedi, Ray, Sibbald, Linnæus, Brisson, Marten, and a crowd of other distinguished naturalists, from the impossibility of any of these great men making continuous observations upon this interesting animal, the subject was still doomed to remain an apparently impenetrable mystery.

     And although Lacapedé appears to be the first naturalist who endeavoured to introduce order into this department of zoology, yet even he has entirely failed in giving a correct account of this cetacean, when he states that there are eight species of this whale, some of which, he states, may be known by their dorsal fins.

     To convince the reader of the utter confusion which exists among the historians of this animal, it will only be necessary to state here, a few of their published opinions, on the supposed different species of the spermaceti whale.

     Brisson made no less than seven species of the cachalot, depending upon their dorsal fins, spout-holes, and form of their teeth.

     Linnæus followed, and reduced them to four physeters, which he characterised by the form of the teeth of the lower jaw.

     Bonnaterre increased them again to six species, depending upon the peculiar modifications of the dorsal fins, or protuberances, and some small modifications in the form of their teeth.

     Lacapedé next came, increasing the number over all his predecessors, making eight species, which he divided into three groups; viz. the cachalots proper, which have one, or several dorsal eminences, and whose nostrils are placed at the extremity of the muzzle; the physales, which only differ from the cachalots, in having a small, dorsal hump, and having the nostril situated at a little distance from the end of the snout; and lastly, the physeters, which have a dorsal fin, and whose nostrils are placed at the end, or near the end of the muzzle. The first of these groups (the cachalots) are subdivided.

     Desmarest, however thought proper to add another to those of Lacapedé, the characters of which he obtained from some Chinese drawing, upon the fidelity of which no dependence can of course be placed.

     So that it is quite evident to my mind, that Lacapedé must be in error, if he classes the spermaceti whale with those which have dorsal fins, without going into reflections upon the other species, which he causes to depend on differences which do not exist; because in the first place the sperm whale has no dorsal fin whatever, merely having in its place a hump, or rounded ridge of fat, in form not unlike that of a camel, and which is stripped off with the blubber, having in its structure no bones or cartilages, by which we might even suppose it to be the rudiment of a fin; while several other kinds of whales possess real dorsal fins, as the finback, which belongs to the balænæ, and is entirely different in its form and habits, having the head invested with the "baleen," or screening apparatus, by which it feeds, like the common black, or Greenland whale, on an entirely different food to that of the sperm whale, who has in blace of the baleen, a jaw furnished with teeth, "the two branches of which, are joined in the greater part of its length in a cylindrical symphasis," and who spouts from the anterior angle of the head, while the finback, like the common whale of Greenland, spouts from the middle of the top of the same part. Others of the whale tribe have dorsal fins, while they possess the cylindrical jaw, as the black fish, but yet spout from the forehead, or top of the head, and do not produce spermaceti. While some, as the Greenland whale, spout from the middle of the top of the head, have their jaws furnished with baleen, but have neither dorsal fins nor hump. Another kind, which is well known to whalers, as the humpbacked whale, possesses, like the Greenland whale, the baleen, and spouts from the top of the head yet has a hump not very dissimilar to that of the sperm whale.

     So that they resemble each other in some respects, and differ so widely in other parts of their formation, and also in their habits, that they each necessarily belong to distinct classes of beings, and convince me, that they cannot properly be arranged in families, from the form or situation of their fins, humps, teeth, or baleen. However, it is not my intention, were it in my power, to enter into the inquiry as to the true method of dividing the cetacea into groups, families, genera, or species; but this I can assert in contradiction to Lacapedé, and others of the foregoing authorities, that there is no more than one species of sperm whale, and this I say from having particularly noticed their external form, and also their manner and habits, in various parts of the world very distant from each other, yet I was never led to suppose for an instant, from their observance, that more than one species of this kind of whale exists.

     The large full-grown male, appeared the same in every part, from New Guinea to Japan, from Japan to the coast of Peru, from Peru to our own island; while their females coincided in every particular, having their young ones among them in the same order, and appearing similar to all others which I had seen in every respect, merely differing a little in colour or fatness, according to the climate in which they were captured, as we had many opportunities of observing, as they were lying dead by the side of the ship. Frederick Cuvier, the brother of the illustrious Baron, in the most interesting and learned work that ever appeared, on the history of whales in general, entitled "de l'Histoire Naturelle des Cetaces,"g and which was published so late as 1836, after stating the difficulty of procuring a correct drawing of the sperm whale, on account of those which have been stranded on various parts of Europe becoming so much misshapen from their own weight, while lying in the mud, and moreover from their being surrounded by great numbers of eager spectators, remarks, that "figures drawn from whales when floating freely, would be in a condition to inspire more confidence, but if such figures are possible, we believe that science, as yet, does not possess any." A paragraph, in the truth of which every person musts agree, so far as its first part extends, but when the outline of the one given by Captain Colnett, which we suppose was taken from nature, with the faithful and excellent plate by Huggins, from a drawing made in the South Seas over the dead animal, and also the sketch, which was given in the former edition of this work, taken as it was, very carefully under the same circumstances, are considered, coinciding as they all do in every particular, the deficiency complained of by F. Cuvier would seem to have been amply supplied.

     To prove the great discrepancy that exists between the imaginary figure of F. Cuvier, and that taken from actual observaton, it will only be necessary for the satisfaction of those personally unacquainted with the subject, to subjoin a comparative outline sketch of the two.

     Some of the errors with which naturalists have been involved, may have arisen from the great disproportion in size which exists between the male and female of these animals, and which is very great, the adult female bearing a proportion of only about one-fifth to the size of the large adult male; but this is not altogeher to be understood in regard of length, but of their general bulk, for females are longer in proportion to their circumference than the males, being altogether more slenderly formed, which gives them that appearance of lightness and comparative weakness, which the females [p.14/p.15] of most animals possess; and on this account the female heretofore may have been taken for a different species of the cachalot, when her size has been compared with that of the large male, particularly when it is known that the female of the common Greenland whale is in most instances the larger.

     The Baron Cuvier, in his remarks upon the sperm whale, states, "that he is another of those giants of the main, whose colossal structure and tyrannical dominion render them truly formidable; this cachalot is more lively and active than the generality of the cetacea, and is only less bulky than the common whale, of which he is a most dangerous rival, though less powerful than that first of the marine mammalia." This assertion is another instance, showing how correctness and its opposite may be placed together; for although some of these remarks are true, as far as relates to the superior activity of the sperm whale, yet, when it is observed that he is "less powerful" and "less bulky" than "his dangerous rival," we are led to suppose that the learned author has depended too much on the mistaken evidence of others; for Scoresby, in his account of the size and length of the Greenland whale, states that about seventy or seventy-two feet, would measure the longest that he saw; while a male spermaceti whale, which we captured at the Japan fishery, measured the enormous length of eighty-four feet, and it circumference, in this instance, was not less than that of a Greenland whale of the largest size; so that, if size is to be taken into consideration to entitle either of them to claim the dominion [p.15/p.16] of the ocean, the sperm whale, at present, can certainly demand the place; and if his size is so superior, posessing also much greater activity, we can scarcely deem him the second of the marine mammalia, or "less powerful" than his northern rival.

     But, if naturalists have erred respecting the disposition, the food, species, form, and size of this leviathan, they have not been less deceived in regard to his breathing, during which they have represented him as throwing up water with the spout; this has been reiterated, not only by naturalists, but also by poet and painters, from the earliest periods — from Pliny's down to the present time, the notion has existed that he constantly ejects water with his breath, which has caused F. Cuvier to indulge also in this belief, because, as he states, "so many persons have been witnesses of it, that he cannot for a moment doubt the recital."

     I can only say, when I find myself again in opposition to those old and received notions, that, out of the thousands of sperm whales which I have seen during my wanderings in the south and north Pacific Oceans, I have never observed any of them to eject a column of water from the nostril. I have seen them at a distance, and I have been within a few yards of several hundreds of them, and I never saw water pass from the spout-hole. But the column of thick and dense vapour which is certainly ejected, is exceedingly likely to mislead the judgment of the casual observer in these matters; and this column does indeed appear very much like a jet of water, when seen at the distance of one or two miles on [p.16/p.17] a clear day, because of the condensation of the vapour, which takes place the moment it escapes from the nostril, and its consequent opacity, which makes it appear of a white colour, and which is not observed when the whale is close to the spectator, and it then appears only like a jet of white steam; the only water in addition is the small quantity that may be lodged in the external fissure of the spout-hole, when the animal raises it above the surface to breathe, and which is blown up into the air with the spout, and may probably assist in condensing the vapour of which it is formed.

     It has, however, been stated by some naturalists that it is only at times that this whale projects water from the nostril, and that is at the time, they say, of his feeding. How far such an observation can apply to the Greenland whale, which feeds near the surface, will be noticed in the conclusion of these remarks; but I can state here, that such an observation cannot hold good with regard to the sperm whale, for that creature feeds far below the surface, and, in so doing, the large male continues in the depths of the ocean from an hour to an hour and twenty minutes, without once shewing himself above; so that, if he wishes to eject water from the mouth thorugh the nostril, to avoid swallowing it (if, indeed, he has any anatomical arrangement for so doing), it must be performed in the depths of his native element, into which he descends to feed, and therefore the operation is remote from observation.

     This general opinion, like that of the sperm whale's voice, is not only entertained by F. Cuvier, but among [p.17/p.18] other recent writers on these subjects: Mr. T. Bell, in his valuable and beautiful work on British quadrupeds and marine mammalia, favours the opinions of the others who have preceded him. This misconception is also disseminated in the volume upon cetacea in the Naturalist's Library, conducted by Sir William Jardine, who has also fallen into great errors with regard to the sperm whale's feeding, and the size of the female. And although that gentleman has thought proper to fill his chapter on the natural history of the sperm whale entirely from the first little edition of this work, he does not appear to be convinced of its veracity, and at the same time (I am compelled to observe) to display a considerable want of accurate information on the subject, when he supposes that the food of the sperm whale is similar to that of the Greenland whale; a supposition manifestly untenable, when we regard the very different apparatus for the prehension and retention of food in the mouths of the two animals. The one provided with a complex and wonderfully arranged screen or sieve, for the purpose of separating minute animals from the water that passes through its mouth; and the other furnished with short but pointed teeth, evidently intended for the seizure of larger objects and totally unfitted for the function performed by the former.

     Moreover, the fact of the loligo affording the principal food of the sperm whale, is a well and long known fact, and an instance of this creature being found in the stomach of a sperm whale stranded on the coast of [p.18/p.19] Norfolk, is recorded by Sir Thomas Brown, so long ago as 1686.

     Mr. Bennett, in a paper which he read, not long since, before the Zoological Society, also stated that the sperm whale has the power of throwing up water with the expired air at particular times; but from what I have heard, I believe the observations which he made were not deemed conclusive of the fact, and I have not yet been able to peruse his paper myself.

     In the conclusion of this subject I may be allowed to state: — that I have been also very close to the balæna mysticetus when it has been feeding and breathing, and yet I never saw even that animal differ in the latter respect from the sperm whale in the nature of the spout; and even in porpoises, which I have seen in hundreds of instances playing or gamboling about the bows of our ship as she has been sailing along, yet in not a solitary instance did I ever observe anything but vapour dart from their nostrils, and which is but the work of an instant, for they are not on the surface more than that time, when they not only perform their expiration but inspiration, and again disappear in the twinkling of an eye.

     Again, it has been observed by the same naturalist, who has been so frequently noticed in these remarks because he has been the most prominent historian on the subject with which we are engaged, that the spring is the time when the intercourse of the sexes takes place, which if true would certainly lead us to expect only at particular seasons a certain increase of these valuable animals — but this is not the case, as we find young sperm whales, at all seasons of the year, accompanying the groups, or "schools" of females, wherever or at whatever time they may be fallen in with: for an instance — if a ship on the Japan fishery or Bonin Islands, falls in with a "school" of female whales in May, which is the first commencement of the fishing season, they are sure to see young sucking whales among them; and if they also fall in with others of the same sex in the following August, September, or October, the young are also certainly met with — thus demonstrating, that there is no particular time set apart by nature for the sexual intercourse of these animals, but that they meet at all seasons of the year: the same ovservations hold good at the New Guinea fishery, and from all the information that I can obtain, also at the "Seychelle" and "Timor" fisheries.

     The groups, herds, or "schools," which are formed by the sperm whale, are of two kinds: — firstly, by the females, which are accompanied by their young and one or two adult males; and secondly, by the young and half-grown males, but the large and fully grown males always go singly in search of food: but M. F. Cuvier has conjectured, that when they are seen alone, that it is "merely accidental, and not natural." His brother has also stated, that the left eye of the cachalot is much smaller than the other, so that fishermen attack him on that side, on which his vision is less perfect, in order to more readily elude his observation. Of the first of these remarks, I feel myself incompetent either to contradict, or confirm it positively; but I can assert that I never saw a whaler prefer either side of the whale, but that [p.20/p.21] which was nearest or most convenient to him at the moment of attack — neither have I ever heard them make use of a single observation to confirm such an assertion. But if the great Baron Cuvier and his no less learned brother, have both been so much misled in the histories which they have given of the manners and habits of the sperm whale, it has arisen from the many difficulties they have had to deal with, in endeavouring to unravel the inextricable veil in which the true history of this animal has been wrapped by a multitude of writers, who have themselves either wilfully misrepresented the nature of this creature, with which they have pretended to be acquainted or who have depended upon the accounts of old voyagers, who have delighted in mixing fiction with truth, that miracles and wonders of all kinds might appear to have been their constant companions. Yet long ago, the powerful and scrutinizing mind of the Baron began to perforate the mist which hung over this branch of natural history; for we find him throwing out the following suspicions, which serve to shew the nature of his real opinion, upon the various accounts which surrounded him on the number of species of the cachalot. "Are there," he inquires, "any cachalots with an elevated dorsal fin? Are there any with the spiracles pierced on the forehead, on the middle of the head? Are there any in which the branches of the lower jaw are not joined for most of their length in a cylindrical symphysis?"

     We are proud in being enabled, thus far, to confirm the suspicions of Cuvier, and to finish these humble remarks by observing, that as far as our own researches on this whale have extended, and we have visited him in his own unfathomable and vast domain, for the purpose of observing his habits and form, we have never had reason to suppose that more than once species of spermaceti whale exists. And not until the queries instituted by Cuvier are answered in the affirmative, and proved, "and to be proved otherwise than by figures drawn by common sailors — not until such beings have been carefully observed by enlightened men — not until their osseous parts have been deposited in collections, where they can be verified by naturalists, shall we be justified in admitting more than one kind of sperm whale into the catalogue of animals."

     Before proceeding to the account of the habits of the sperm whale, I have thought that it might be interesting to prefix a short description of its external form, and some anatomical points in its conformation. By reference to the prefixed engravings, the following description will be much more readily understood:

     The head of the sperm whale presents in front a very thick blunt extremity, called the snout or nose, and constitutes about one-third of the whole length of the animal — at its junction with the body is a large protuberance on the back, called by the whalers the "bunch of the neck;" immediately behind this, or at what might be termed the shoulder, is the thickest part of the body, which from this point gradually tapers off to the tail, but it does not become much smaller for about another third of the whole length, when the "small," as it is called, or tail, commences; and at this point also, on the back, is a large prominence of a pyramidal form, called the "hump," from which a series of smaller processes run half way down the "small," or tail, constituting what is called by whalers the "ridge." The body then contracts so much, as to become finally not thicker than the body of a man, and terminates by becoming expanded on the sides into the "flukes," or tail properly speaking. The two flukes constitute a large triangular fin, resembling in some respects the tail of fishes, but differing in being placed horizontally; there is a slight notch, or depression between the flukes, posteriorly — they are about six or eight feet in length, and from twelve to fourteen in breadth in the largest males. The chest and belly are narrower than the broadest part of the back, and taper off evenly and beautifully towards the tail, giving what by sailors is termed a "clear run," — the depth of the head and body is in all parts except the tail greater than the width. The head viewed in front, as in fig.2, presents a broad, somewhat flattened surface, rounded, and contracted above, considerably expanded on the sides, and gradually contracted below, so as in some degree to attain a resemblance to the cutwater of a ship.

     At the angle formed by the anterior and superior surfaces on the left side, is placed the single blowing-hole, or nostril, which in the dead animal presents the appearance of a slit or fissure, in form resembling as S, extending longitudinally, and about twelve inches in length.

     This nostril, however, is surrounded by several muscles, which in the living state are for the purpose of modifying its shape and dimensions, according to the necessities of respiration, similar to those which act upon the nostrils of land animals.

     In the right side of the nose, and upper surface of the head, is a large, almost triangular-shaped cavity, called by whalers the "case," which is lined with a beautiful glistening membrane, and covered by a thick layer of muscular fibres and small tendons, running in various directions, and finally united by common integuments. This cavity is for the purpose of secreting and containing an oily fluid, which, after death, concretes into a granulated substance of a yellowish colour, the spermaceti. The size of the case may be estimated, when it is stated that in a large whale it not unfrequently contains a ton, or more than ten large barrels of spermaceti!

     Beneath the case and nostril, and projecting beyond the lower jaw, is a thick mass of elastic substance called the "junk:" it is formed of a dense cellular tissue, strenthened by numerous strong tendinous fibres, and infiltrated with very fine sperm oil and spermaceti.

     The mouth extends nearly the whole length of the head. Both the jaws, but especially the lower, are in front contracted to a very narrow point, and when the mouth is closed, the lower jaw is received within a sort of cartilaginous lip, or projection of the upper one; but principally in front, for further back, at the sides, and towards the angle of the mouth, both jaws are furnished with tolerably well developed lips: in the lower jaw are forty-two teeth, of a formidable size, but conical shape; there are none, however, in the upper, which instead presents depressions corresponding to, and for the reception of, the points of those in the lower jaw, — sometimes, however, a few rudimentary teeth may be found situated in the upper jaw, but never projecting beyond the gums, and upon which those in the lower jaw strike when the mouth is closed.

     The tongue is small, of a white colour, and does not appear to possess the power of very extended motion.

     The throat is capacious enough to give passage to the body of a man; in this respect presenting a strong contrast with the contracted gullet of the Greenland whale.

     The mouth is lined throughout with a pearly white membrane, which becomes continuous at the lips, and borders with the common integument, where it becomes of a dark-brown or black colour.

     The eyes are small, in comparison with the size of the animal, and are furnished with eyelids, the lower of which is the more moveable: they are placed a little above, and behind the angle of the mouth, at the widest part of the head. At a short distance behind the eyes, are the external openings of the ears, of size sufficient to admit a small quill, and unprovided with any external auricular appendage.

     Behind, and not far from the posterior angle of the mouth, are placed the swimming paws, or fins, which are analogous in their formation to the anterior extremities of other animals, or the arms of man; they are not much used as instruments of progression, but probably in giving a direction to that motion in balancing the body in sinking suddenly, and occasionally in supporting their young.

     In a full-grown male sperm whale, of the largest size, or about eighty-four feet in length, the dimensions may be given as follow: — depth of head from eight to nine feet, — breadth, from five to six feet, — depth of body seldom exceeds twelve or fourteen feet, so that the circumference of the largest sperm whale of eighty or eighty-four feet will seldom exceed thirty-six feet, — the swimming paws or fins, are about six feet long and three broad; the dimensions of the flukes or tail have been previously mentioned.

     In reviewing this description of the external form, and some of the organs of the sperm whale, it will perhaps not be uninteresting if some comparison is instituted between them and the corresponding points of the Greenland whale. In doing this, the remarkable adapation of form and parts to different habits, situation, and food, will not fail to strike every one with admiration.

     One of the peculiarities of the sperm whale, which strikes at first sight every beholder, is the apparently disproportionate and unwieldly bulk of the head; but this peculiarity, instead of being, as might be supposed, an impediment to the freedom of the animal's motion in his native element, is in fact, on the contrary in some respects very conducive to his lightness and agility, if such a term can with propriety be applied to such an enormous creature; for a great part of the bulk of the head is made up of a large thin membranous case, containing, during life, a thin oil of much less specific gravity than water; below which again is the junk, which, although heavier than the spermaceti, is still lighter than the element in which the whale moves; consequently the head taken as a whole, is lighter specifically than any other part of the body and will always have a tendency to rise at least so far above the surface as to elevate the nostril or "blow-hole" sufficiently for all purposes of respiration, and more than this, a very slight effort on the part of the fish would only be necessary to raise the whole of the anterior flat surface of the nose out of the water; in case the animal should wish to increase his speed to the utmost, the narrow inferior surface, which has been before stated to bear some resemblance to the cutwater of a ship, and which would in fact answer the same purpose to the whale, would be the only part exposed to the pressure of the water in front, enabling him thus to pass with the greatest celerity and ease through the boundless track of his wide domain.

     It is in this shape of the head that the sperm whale differs in the most remarkable degree from the Greenland whale, the shape of whose head more resembles that of the porpoise, and in it the nostril is situated much farther back, rendering it seldom or ever necessary for the nose to be elevated above the surface of the water; and when swimming even at the greatest speed, the Greenland whale keeps nearly the whole of the head under it, but as his head tapers off evenly in front, this circumstance does not much impede his motion, the rate of which is, however, never equal to that of the greatest rate of the sperm whale.

     It seems, indeed, in point of fact, that this purpose of rendering the head of light specific gravity, is the only use of this mass of oil and spermaceti, although some have supposed, and not without some degree of probability, that the "junk" especially may be serviceable in obviating the injurious effects of concussion, should the whale happen to meet with any obstacle when in full career. This supposition, however, would appear hardly tenable, when we consider the Greenland whale, although living among the rock-like icebergs of the arctic seas, has no such convenient provision, and with senses probably in all, and certainly in one respect less acute that those of the sperm whale, on which account it would seem requisite for him to possess this defence rather than the sperm whale, whose habitation is for the most part in the smiling latitudes of the southern seas. Considering the habits and mode of feeding, and the superior activity and apparent intelligence of the sperm whale, we shall be prepared to expect that he must possess a corresponding superiority in his external senses; and we accordingly find, that he enjoys a more perfect organ of hearing, in having an external opening of considerable size for the purpose of conveying sounds to the internal ear more readily and acutely than could be done through the dense and thick integument, which is continued over the auricular opening in the northern whale.

     Although the eyes in both animals are very small in comparison with their bulk, yet it is remarked that they are tolerably quick-sighted. I am not aware that the sperm whale possesses in this respect any superiority.

     Passing to the mouth, we again observe a very remarkable difference in the conformation of the two animals; as in place of the enormous plates of whalebone which are found attached to the upper jaw of the Greenland whale, we in the sperm whale only find depressions for the reception of the teeth of the lower jaw; organs which again are totally wanting in the other. Corresponding with these distinctions, which plainly point out that the food of the two whales must be very different, we find a remarkable difference in the size of the gullet.

     The several humps, or ridges, on the back of the sperm whale constitute another difference in their exterenal aspect; these prominences are however not altogether peculiar to the sperm whale, as that which is called by whalers the "humpback" possesses a prominence on the back not very dissimilar to that of the sperm whale, which has been noticed before in the introductory remarks, and which induced Lacapedé to divide the genus Balæna into those with a hump, and those without; employing the name Balæna for the latter, and styling the others Balænoptera.

     I have before adverted to the sharp cutwater-like conformation of the under part of the head in the sperm whale, and it is worthy of remark that the same part of the Greenland whale is nearly, if not altogether, flat.

     The skin of the sperm whale, as of all other cetaceous animals, is without scales, smooth, but occasionally, in old whales, wrinkled, and frequently marked on the sides by linear impressions, appearing as if rubbed against some angular body. The colour of the skin, over the greatest part of its extent, is very dark, most so on the upper part of the head, the back, and on the flukes, in which situation it is in fact sometimes black, on the sides it gradually assumes a lighter tint, till on the breast it becomes silvery grey.

     In different individuals there is, however, considerable variety of shade, and some are even piebald. Old "bulls," as full-grown males are called by whalers, have generally a portion of grey on the nose immediately above the fore-part of the upper-jaw, and they are then said to be "grey-headed."

     In young whales the "black skin," as it is called, is about three-eighths of an inch thick, but in old ones it is not more than one-eighth.

     Immediately beneath the black-skin is the blubber or fat, which is contained in a cellular membrane, and which is much strengthened by numerous interlacements of ligamentous fibres, which has induced Professor Jacob to consider the whole thickness of blubber to be the cutis vera, or true skin, infiltrated with oil, or fatty matters. Its thickness on the breast of a large whale is about fourteen inches, and on most other parts of the body it measures from eight to eleven inches. The head is not, however, supplied with this covering, having only the black skin, or cutis, which lies close to a layer of very dense cellular tissue, under which is seen a considerable thickness of numerous small tendons, intermixed with muscular fibres.

     This is more especially observed on the top and upper third of the head, surrounding the case, as lower down we find the black skin lying close to the peculiar structure of the junk.

     This thick covering of skin, blubber, or fat, is called by the South Sea whalers the "blanket." It is of a light yellowish colour, and, when melted down, furnishes the sperm oil. It also serves two excellent purposes to the whale, in rendering it buoyant, and in furnishing it with a warm protection from the coldness of the surrounding element; in this last respect answering well to the name bestowed upon it by the sailors

     It is a matter of great astonishment that the consideration of the habits of so inteeresting, and in a commercial point of view of so important an animal, should have been so entirely neglected, or should have excited so little curiosity among the numerous, and many of them competent observers, that of late years must have possessed the most abundant and the most convenient opportunities of witnessing their habitudes. I am not vain enough to pretend that the few following pages include a perfect sketch of this subject, as regards the sperm whale; but I flatter myself that somewhat of novelty and originality will be found justly ascribable to the observations I have put together; they are at all events the fruit of long and attentive consideration. — For convenience of description, the habits of this animal are given under the heads of feeding, swimming, breathing, etc.

     The food of the sperm whale consists almost wholly of an animal of the cuttle-fish kind, called by sailors the "squid," and by naturalists the "sepia octopus," the form and natural history of which will be fully noticed under the head of "Nature of the Sperm Whale's Food." See Chapter vii.

     This squid, or sepia, at least forms the principal part of his sustenance when at a distance from shore, or what is termed "off-shore ground;" but when met with nearer land, he has been known, when mortally or severly wounded,to eject from his stomach quantities of small fish, which are met with in great abundance in the bays and somewhat near the shore, especially in Volcano Bay on the coast of Japan, and in the Straits of Corea, which joins the Pacific Ocean with the sea of Japan; he sometimes, however, throws up fish as large as a moderate sized salmon. It would be difficult to believe that so large and unwieldly an animal as this whale could ever catch a sufficient quantity of such smnall animals, if he had to pursue them individually for his food; and I am not aware that either the fish he sometimes lives upon, or the squid, are ever found in shoals, or closely congregated, except in one solitary instance recorded by Captain Colnett, regarding the "squid," in which he states that, while off the Galapago's Islands "neither himself nor any of the oldest whalers had ever seen the squid in shoals before." It remains, then to be inquired in what way the sperm whale usually does supply his enormous frame with sufficient food.

     It appears from all I can learn among the oldest and most experienced whalers, and from the observations I have been enabled to make myself upon this interesting subject, that when this whale is inclined to feed, he descends a certain depth below the surface of the ocean, and there remains in as quiet a state as possible, opening his narrow elongated mouth until the lower jaw hangs down perpendicularly, or at right angles with the body.

     The roof of his mouth, the tongue, and especially the teeth, being of a bright glistening white colour, must of course present a remarkable appearance, which seems to be the incitement by which his prey are attracted, and when a sufficient number, I am strongly led to suppose, are within the mouth, he rapidly closes his jaw and swallows the contents; which is not the only instance of animals obtaining their prey by such means, when the form of their bodies, from unwieldiness or some other cause, prevents them from securing their prey in any other manner, or by the common method of the chase. The crocodile frequently employs strategems of the like nature: covering himself in mud, and lying still on the bank of some stream, or pond, he opens his enormous jaws, when hundreds of small reptiles, attracted by the mucus, or slime, which covers their interior, become the easy prey of the artful machinations of their scaly deceiver.

     The great American ant-eater also puts into action a practice which is very similar, for thrusting out his long tongue, which is warm, slimy, and steaming, over some ant-hill, it soon becomes covered with hundreds of those insects, who endeavour to make a similar property of the very organ by which they are entrapped. When covered, the tongue is suddenly drawn into the mouth, and the many little animals which crowded upon it are disposed of "in one fell swoop."

     That the mode mentioned above, by which the sperm whale acquires and secures its prey, is correct, I am led to believe also, from the following considerations. The sperm whale is subject to several diseases, one of which is a perfect, or imperfect, loss of sight. A whale perfectly blind, was taken by Captain William Swain, of the Sarah and Elizabeth whaler of London, both eyes of which were completely disorganized, the orbits being occupied by fungous masses, protruding considerably, rendering it certain that the whale must have been deprived of vision for a long space of time; yet, notwithstanding this, the animal was quite as fat, and produced as much oil, as any other captured of the same size. Besides blindness, this whale is frequently subject to deformity of the lower jaw: two instances of which I have seen myuself, in which the deformity was so great as to render it impossible for the animal to find the jaws useful in catching small fish, or even, one might have supposed, in deglutition; yet these whales possessed as much blubber and were as rich in oil as any of a similar size I have seen before or since.

     In both these instances of crooked jaws, the nutrition of the animal appeared to be equally perfect; but the deformities were different in one case, the jaw being bent to the right side and rolled as it were like a scroll, in the other it was bent downwards, but also curved upon itself. It would be interesting here to inquire into the causes of this deformity, but whether it is the effect of disease, or the consequences of accident, I am unable to determine. Old whalers affirm that it is caused by fighting; they state that the sperm whale fights by rushing head first, one upon the other, their mouths at the same time wide open, their object appearing to be the seizing of their opponent by the lower jaw, for which purpose they frequently turn themselves on the side; in this manner they strive vehemently for the mastery. I have never had the good fortune to witness one of these combats; but if it be the fact that such take place, we need not wonder at seeing so many deformed jaws in this kind of whale, for we can easily suppose the enormous force exerted on these occasions, taking into consideration at the same time the comparative slenderness of the jaw-bone in this animal. Some corroboration of the above statements arises from the fact as far as my knowledge extends, that the female is never seen affected with this deformity.

     From these facts it may almost be deduced, or at least surmised with a great degree of probability, that the mode of procuring food as above stated, as that pursued by the sperm whale, is the true one, for without eyes, and with a jaw (his only instrument of prehension) so much deformed, the animal would seem incapable of pursuing his prey, and would consequently gain but a very precarious subsistence, if its food did not actually throng about the mouth and throat, invited by their appearance, and attracted also in some degree as I suppose, by the peculiar and very strong odour of the sperm whale. Besides, it is well known, that many kinds of fish are attracted by substances possessing a white dazzling appearance, for not only the hungry shark, but the cautious and active dolphin both occasionally fall victims to this partiality, as I have had many opportunities of observing. When the Kent, south-seaman, was fishing on the "off-shore ground" of Peru, the crew caught a great number of the sepia octopus, or squid (the peculiar food of the sperm whale), in one night, by merely lowering a piece of polished lead armed with fish-hooks a certain depth into the sea; the sepiæ gathered around it instantly, so that by giving a slight jerk to the line, the hooks were easily driven into their bodies.

     The teeth of the sperm whale are merely organs of prehension, they can be of no use for mastication, and consequently the fish, etc. which he occasionally vomits, present no marks of having undergone that process.

     The manner of the young ones sucking is a matter involved in some obscurity. It is impossible from the curious conformation of the mouth, that the young one could seize the nipple of the mother with the fore-part of it, for there are no soft lips at this part, but instead, the jaws are edged with a smooth and very hard cartilaginous substance, but about two feet from the angle of the mouth, they begin to be furnished with something like lips, which form at the angle some loose folds, soft and elastic; and it is commonly believed by the most experienced whalers, that it is by this part the young whale seizes the nipple and performs the act of sucking, and which is doubtless the mode of its doing so.

     Notwithstanding his enormous size, we find that the sperm whale has the power of moving through the water with the greatest ease, and with considerable velocity. When undisturbed, he passes tranquilly along just below the surface of the water, at the rate of about three or four miles an hour, which progress he effects by a gentle oblique motion from side to side of the "flukes," precisely in the same manner as a boat is skulled by means of an oar over the stern. When proceeding at this his common rate, his body lies horizontally, his "hump" projecting above the surface ( see cut, p.33, fig.3), with the water a little disturbed around it, and more or less according to his velocity. This disturbed water is called by whalers "white water," and from the greater or less quantity of it, an experienced whaler can judge very accurately of the rate at which the whale is going, from a distance even of four or five miles.

     In this mode of swimming, the whale is able to attain a velocity of about seven miles an hour; but when desirous of proceeding at a greater rate, the action of the tail is materially altered, — instead of being moved laterally and obliquely, it strikes the water with the broad flat surface of the flukes in a direct manner, upwards and downwards, and each time the blow is made with the inferior surface, the head of the whale sinks down to the depth of eight or ten feet, but when the blow is reversed, it rises out of the water, presenting then to it only the sharp cutwater-like inferior portion.

     The blow with the upper surface of the flukes appears to be by far the most powerful, and as at the same time the resistance of the broad anterior surface of the head is removed, appears to be the principal means of progression. This mode of swimming, with the head alternately in and out of the water, is called by whalers "going head out," ( see cut, p.33, fig.1). And in this way the whale can attain a speed of ten or twelve miles an hour, and this latter, I believe to be his greatest velocity.

     The tail is thus seen to be the great means of progression, and the fins are not much used for that purpose; but occasionally when suddenly disturbed, the whale has the power of sinking quickly and directly downwards in the horizontal position, which he effects by strking upwards with the fins and tail.

     All the cetacea, as is well known, are warm-blooded animals, and possess lungs, and a corresponding respiratory apparatus resembling those of terrestrial animals, and require consequently a frequent intercourse with atmospheric air, and for this purpose it is of course necessary that they should rise to the surface of the water at certain intervals.

     The majority of this class of animals do not appear to perform this function with any regularity, and it is in this respect that the sperm whale is remarkably distinguished among his congeners, and it is from his peculiar mode of "blowing" that he is recognised even from a great distance by the most inexperienced whaler. When at the surface for the purpose of respiration, the whale generally remains still, but occasionally continues making a gentle progress during the whole of his breathing time. If the water is moderately smooth, the first part of the whale observable is a dark-coloured pyramidal mass, projecting about two or three feet out of the water, which is the "hump."

     At very regular intervals of time, the nose, or snout, emerges at a distance of from forty to fifty feet from the hump, in the full-grown male. From the extremity of the nose the spout is thrown up, which, when seen from a distance, appears thick, low, and bushy ( see cut, p.33, fig.3), and of a white colour: it is formed of the expired air, which is forcibly ejected by the animal through the blow-hole, acquiring its white colour from minute particles of water, previously lodged in the chink, or fissure of the nostril, and also from the condensation of the aqueous vapour thrown off by the lungs. The spout is projected from the blow-hole, at an angle of 135 degrees in a slow and continuous manner, for the space of about three seconds of time; — if the weather is fine and clear, and there is a gentle breeze at the time, it may be seen from the mast-head of a moderate-sized vessel, at the distance of four or five miles. The spout of the sperm whale differs much from that of other large cetacea, in which it is mostly double, and projected thin, and like a sudden jet, and as in these animals the blow-holes are situated nearly on the top of the head, it is thrown up to a considerable height, in almost a perpendicular direction. When, however, a sperm whale is alarmed or "gallied," the spout is thrown up much higher and with great rapidity, and consequently differs much from its usual appearance. The regularity with which every action connected with its breathing is performed by the sperm whale, is very remarkable. The length of time he remains at the surface, the number of spouts or expirations made at one time, the intervals between the spouts, the time he remains invisible in the "depths of the ocean buried," are all, when the animal is undisturbed, as regular in succession and duration as it is possible to imagine.

     In different individuals, the times consumed in performing these several acts vary, but in each they are minutely regular; and this well-known regularity is of considerable use to the fishers — for when a whaler has once noticed the periods of any particular sperm whale, which is not alarmed, he knows to a minute when to expect it again at the surface, and how long it will remain there.

     Immediately after each spout, the nose sinks beneath the water, scarecly a second intervening for the act of inspiration, which must consequently be performed very quickly, the air rushing into the chest with an astonishing velocity; there is however no sound caused by the inspiration, and very little by the expiration, or spout; in this respect also differing from other whales, for the "finback" whale, and some others, have their inspirations accompanied by a loud sound, as of air forcibly drawn into a small orifice, — this sound is called by whalers, the "drawback," and when heard at night near the ship, convinces the listening watch of the species to which it belongs. In a large "bull" sperm whale, the time consumed in making one inspiration and one expiration, or the space from the termination of one spout to that of another, is ten seconds; during six of which, the nostril is beneath the surface of the water, the inspiration occupying one, and the expiration three seconds, and at each breathing time the whale makes from sixty to seventy expirations, and remains, therefore, at the surface ten or eleven minutes. At the termination of this breathing time, or as whalers say, when he has had his "spoutings out," the head sinks slowly, the "small," or the part between the "hump" and "flukes," appears above the water, curved, with the convexity upwards, the flukes are then lifted high into the air, and the animal, having assumed a straight position, descends perpendicularly to an unknown depth, — this act is performed with regularity and slowness, and is called by whalers, "peaking the flukes," an act too, which is always noticed by those who are employed in the look-out, who call loudly, when they disappear below the surface, "there goes flukes."

     The whale continues thus hidden beneath the surface for an hour and ten minutes; some will remain an hour and ten minutes; some will remain an hour and twenty minutes, and others for only one hour, but these are rare exceptions. If we then take into consideration the quantity of time that the full-grown sperm whale consumes in respiration, and also the time he takes in searching for food, and performing other acts, below the surface of the ocean, we shall find, by a trifling calculation, that the former bears proportion to the latter, as one to seven, or in other words, that a seventh of the time of this huge animal is consumed in the function of respiration.

     The females being found generally in large numbers and in close company, it is difficult to fix the attention upon one individual, so as to ascertain precisely the time consumed below the surface; however, as all in one flock generally rise at the same time, it may be observed, that they remain below the water about twenty minutes, they make about thirty-five or forty expirations during the period they are at the surface, which is about four minutes, and they thus consume about a fifth of their time in respiration, a proportion considerably greater than that of the adult males.

     The same circumstances of accelerated respiration are observable also in "young bulls," and the acceleration seems to bear a certain definite proportion to their respective ages and size.

     When disturbed or alarmed, this regularity in breathing appears to be no longer observed; for instance, when a "bull," which when undisturbed remains at the surface until he has made sixty expirations, is alarmed by the approach of a boat, he immediately plunges beneath the waves, although it may probably have performed half its usual number, but will soon rise again not far distant, and finish his full number of respirations; and in this case, generally also, he sinks without having assumed the perpendicular position before described, on the contrary, he sinks suddenly in the horizontal position, and with remarkable rapidity, leaving a sort of vortex, or whirlpool, in the place where his huge body lately floated, — this curious movement is effected, as has been before stated, by some powerful upward strokes of the swimming paws and flukes.

     When urging his rapid course through the ocean, in that mode of swimming which is called "going head out," the spout is thrown up every time the head is raised above the surface, and under these circumstances of violent muscular exertion, as would be expected, the respiration is altogether much more hurried than usual.

     When in a state of alarm, or gambolling in sport on the surface of the ocean, the sperm whale has many curious modes of acting; with the reason of some, I am at present unacquainted.

     It is difficult to conceive any object in nature calculated to cause alarm to this leviathan; he appears however to be remarkably timid, and is readily alarmed by the approach of a whale boat.

     When seriously alarmed, the whale is said by sailors to be "gallied," or probably more properly, galled, and in this state he performs many actions very differently from his usual mode, as has been mentioned in speaking of his swimming and breathing, and many also which he is never observed to perform under any other circumstances. One of them is what is called "sweeping," which consists in moving the tail slowly from side to side on the surface of the water, as if feeling for the boat or any other object that may be in the neighbourhood. The whale has also an extraordinary manner of rolling over and over on the surface, and this he does when "fastened to," which means, when a harpoon with a line attached is fixed in his body; and in this case they will sometimes coil an amazing length of line around them. They sometimes also place themselves in a perpendicular posture, with the head only above the water, presenting in this position a most extraordinary appearance when seen from a distance, resembling large black rocks in the midst of the ocean; this posture they seem to assume for the purpose of surveying more perfectly, or more easily, the surrounding expanse. A species of whale called by whalers "black fish," is most frequently in the habit of assuming this position.

     The eyes of the sperm whale being placed in the widest part of the head, of course afford the animal an extensive field of vision, and he appars to view objects very readily that are placed laterally in a direct line with the eye, and when they are placed at some distance before him. His common manner of looking at a boat or ship is to turn over on his side, so as to cause the rays from the object to strike directly upon the retina.

     Now when alarmed, and consequently anxious to take as rapid a glance as possible on all sides, he can much more readily do so when in the above-described perpendicular posture, and this consequently appears to be the reason of his assuming it.

     Occasionally, when lying at the surface, the whale appears to amuse itself by violently beating the water with its tail; this act is called "lob-tailing," and the water lashed in this way into foam, is termed "white water" by the whaler, and by it the whale is recognized from a great distance.

     But one of the most curious and surprising of the actions of the sperm whale, is that of leaping completely out of the water, or of "breaching," as it is called by whalers ( see cut, p.33, fig.2). The way in which he performs this extraordinary motion, appears to be by descending to a certain depth below the surface, and then making some powerful strokes with his tail, which are frequently and rapidly repeated, and thus convey a great degree of velocity to his body before it reaches the surface, when he darts completely out. When just emerged and at its greatest elevation, his body forms with the surface of the water an angle of about 45 degrees, the flukes lying parallel with the surface; in falling, the animal rolls his body slightly, so that he always falls on his side: he seldom breaches more than twice or thrice at a time, or in quick succession. The breach of a whale may be seen from the mast-head on a clear day at a distance of six miles.

     It is probable that the sperm whale often resorts to this action of breaching for the purpose of ridding itself of various animals which infest its skin, such as large "sucking fish," and other animals which resemble small crabs. Of the former of these parasites, some fix themselves so closely to their convenient carrier, that they sometimes adhere to the skin of the whale for several hours aftere its death, and then suffer themselves to be forced off by the hands of the whaler. It is not improbable also, that some of these actions may be resorted to in the whale endeavouring to avoid the assaults of the sword-fish, by which they are not unfrequently attacked, and this is supported by the fact of a portion of the sword of one of these animals having been found imbedded in the side of a whale stranded on the coast of Yorkshire, and which was probably broken off by the violent struggles between them.

     There is also an animal called a "thresher," which is described by whalers, but which I have never seen, although I have observed hundreds of sword-fish while off the coast of Peru, and also in other parts of the world.

     It is said by whalers, that the "thresher" and the sword-fish attack the whale in conjunction, the latter of which goad him from below, while the first leaps out of the water, and falls upon him from above — the attack thus intimidating the whale, and giving an opportunity to the sword-fish to inflict his wounds; but for what purpose I am at a loss to conjecture, for I am not aware that the latter has any power of devouring the whale after his death, were he even able to cause it. Nevertheless, a gentleman in whose veracity I have great confidence, informed me that he once witnessed an attack of this kind, which took place while he was sailing along the coast of Peru.

     He stated, that he had been observing a sperm whale during the time it had remained at the surface to breathe, which after it had performed went through the evolution of "peaking" its flukes in the usual manner and disappeared. As it was a large whale, and as he knew it was likely to remain under water for a considerable time, he scarcely expected to see it again. However, in this he was mistaken; for after it had disappeared only for a few minutes it again rose, apparently in great trepidation, and as it reared with great velocity, half of its huge body projected out of the water. Gaining, however, in a few seconds the horizontal position, it went off at its utmost speed, "going head out" — the moment after which he saw a fish, somewhat resembling a conger-eel in figure but rather more bulky, and to all appearance about six or eight feet in length, fling itself high out of the water after the whale, and fall clumsily on its back, which caused still more alarm to the immense but timid animal, so that it beat the water with its tail, and reared its enormous head so violently, that sounds from the former could be heard at a great distance: it still however continued its rapid career, receiving every few minutes the unwelcome visits of its galling adversary. My informant also stated, that he had good reason to believe that some other animal was at the same time attacking it from below; for he, on more than one occasion, saw some animal dart at times to the surface with amazing quickness, as if engaged with great fury in the contest; and which, he supposed, prevented the whale from descending, in which he had the power no doubt,if he had not been thus prevented, of leaving his antagonists far behind. The attack was continued for a considerable time, during which the whale had got a great distance from the ship, when it twice threw itself completely out of its native element, no doubt endeavouring to escape from its tormenting adversaries by this act of "breaching," and which I have myself seen him do, after having been unsuccessfully chased by the boats.

     The sperm whale is a gregarious animal, and the herds formed by it are of two kinds — the one consisting of females, the other of young males not fully grown.

     These herds are called by whalers "schools," and occasionally consist of great numbers: I have seen in one school as man as five or six hundred. With each herd or school of females are always from one to three large "bulls" — the lords of the herd, or as they are called, the "schoolmasters." The males are said to be extremely jealous of intrusion by strangers, and to fight fiercely to maintain their rights. The full-grown males, or "large whales," almost always go alone in search of food; and when they are seen in company they are supposed to be making passages, or migrating from one "feeding ground" to another. The large whale is generally very incautious, and if alone he is without difficulty attacked, and by expert whalers generally very easily killed; as he frequently, after receiving the first blow or plunge of the harpoon, appears hardly to feel it, but continues lying like a "log of wood" in the water, before he rallies or makes any attempt to escape from his enemies.

     "Large whales" are however sometimes, but rarely, met with remarkably cunning and full of courage, when they will commit dreadful havoc with their jaws and tail; the jaw and head however appear to be their principal offensive weapons.

     The female breeds at all seasons, producing but one at a time, except in a few instances, in which two are produced, as the case of the one stranded on the coast of D'Audierne fully proves: her time of gestation is unknown; F. Cuvier supposes it to be about ten months. Their young, when first born, are according to Mr. Bennett, about fourteen feet in length and six feet in girth — he also states that they lie in the uterus in the form of a bow. M. F. Cuvier states that those which were brought forth at D'Audierne were ten or eleven feet in length; while Captain Colnett observes, that the young sperm whales, which he saw in great numbers off the Galapago's Islands, were not larger than a "small porpoise." Of these authorities I am inclined to depend most upon the accounts given by Mr. Bennett, because they coincide with instances which have come under my own observation.

     The female is much smaller than the male; her size, when generally considered, being not more than one-fifth that of the adult "large whale."¹ The females are very remarkable for attachment to their young, which they may be frequently seen urging and assisting to escape from danger with the most unceasing care and fondness. They are also not less remarkable for their strong feeling of sociality or attachment to one another; and this is carried to so great an extent, as that one female of a herd being attacked and wounded, her faithful companions will remain around her to the last moment, or until they are wounded themselves. This act of remaining by a wounded companion is called by whalers "heaving-to," and whole "schools" have been destroyed by dexterous management, when several ships have been in company, wholly from these whales possessing this remarkable disposition. The attachment appears to be reciprocal on the part of the young whales, which have been seen about the ship for hours after their parents have been killed.

     The young males, or "young bulls," go in large schools, but differ remarkably from the females in disposition, inasmuch as they make an immediate and rapid retreat upon one of their number being struck, who is left to take the best care he can of himself. I never but once saw them "heave-to," and in that case it was only for a short time, and which seemed rather to arise from their confusion than affecton for their wounded companion. They are also very cunning and cautious, keeping at all times a good look-out for danger; it is consequently necessary for the whaler to be extremely cautious in his mode of approaching them, so as, if possible, to escape being heard or seen, for they have some mode of communication one to another, through a whole school, in an incredebily short space of time.

     "Young bulls" are consequently much more troublesome to attack, and more difficult and dangerous to kill, great dexterity and despatch being necessary to give them no time to recover from the pain and fright caused by the first blow. When about three-fourths grown, or sometimes only half, they separate from each other, and go singly in search of food.

     All sperm whales, both large and small, have some method of communicating by signals to each other, by which they become apprised of the approach of danger, and this they do, although the distance may be very considerable between them, sometimes amounting to four, five, or even seven miles. The mode by which this is effected, remains a curious secret.

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     ¹ This fact has been much doubted by Sir William Jardine, on whales, in vol. iii. of the "Naturalist's Library," p.167, where, in using the information contained in the first edition of this work, he states, "according to Beale she is much smaller than the male, in the proportion of nearly one to four or five. This appears a novel and, we presume to think, a somewhat doubtful assertion;" yet I can still assure Sir Silliam that it is not far from the truth!

     It has been stated before (see Chapter ii.) that the food of the sperm whale consists almost wholly of an animal of the cuttle-fish kind, called by whalers "squid," and by naturalists, "sepia octopus," and at times, when he is near the shore, as in Volcano Bay, or on the straits of Corea, it also consists of small fish which are denominated "rock cod" by sailors, and which sometimes, however, approach the size of a moderate salmon.

     But the instances in which fish of this description have been ejected from the stomach of the sperm whale are but rare, while every day's experience proves that its common food consists of that division of molluscous animals which naturalists have denominated cephalopoda, and of which the "sepia octopus," or "sea squid," appears to be the most common.

     A few words on the natural history of this highly organized and remarkable animal, cannot fail to be interesting to the reader, as it has excited the attention of the naturalist for many ages, from the remarkable nature of its formation and very peculiar habits.

     Endowed with hearing, seeing, touch, smell, and taste, it is second to no inhabitant of the waters in the complex elaboration of its organs, which has constantly rendered it a great object of attention to the anatomist and physiologist.

     Dr. Roget, in his Bridgewater Treatise under the head of Cephalopoda, states "that we now arrive at a highly interesting family of mollusca, denominated cephalopoda, and distinguished above all the preceeding orders, by being endowed with a much more elaborate organization, and a far wider range of faculties. The cephalopoda have been so named from the position of certain organs of progressive motion which are situated on the head, and like the tentacula of the polypus, surround the opening of the mouth. These feet or arms, or tentacula, if we choose to call them so, are long, slender, and flexible processes, exceedingly irritable and contractile in every part, and provided with numerous muscles, which are capable of moving and twisting them in all directions with extraordinary quickness and precision; they are thus capable of being employed as instruments not only of progresive motion, but also of prehension. For this latter purpose they are in many species peculiarly well adapted, because, being perfectly flexible as well as highly muscular, they twine with ease round an object of any shape, and grasp it with prodigious force. In addition to these properties, they derive a remarkable power of adhesion to the surfaces of bodies from their being furnished with numerous suckers all along their inner sides. Each of these suckers is usually supported on a narrow neck or pedicle, and strengthened at its circumference by a ring of cartilage. Their internal mechanism is more artificial than the simple construction already described, for when the surface of the disk is fully expanded, we find that it is formed of a great number of small slender pieces, resembling teeth, closely set together, and extending from the inner margin of the cartilaginous rings in the form of converging radii, to within a short distance of the centre, where they leave a circular aperture.

     "In the flattened state of the sucker, this aperture is filled by the projecting part of a softer substance, which forms an interior portion capable of being detached from the flat circle of the teeth when the sucker is in action, and of leaving an intervening cavity. It is evident that by this mechanism, which combines the properties of an accurate valve with an extensive cavity for producing rarefaction or the tendency to vacuum, the power of adhesion is considerably augmented. So great is the force with which the tentacula of the cuttle-fish adhere to bodies by means of this apparatus, that while their muscular fibres continue contracted, it is easier to tear away the substance of the limb than to release it from its attachment. Even in the dead animal, I have found that the suckers retain considerable power of adhesion to any smooth surface to which they may be applied.

     "The octopus, which was the animal denominated polypus by Aristotle, has eight arms of equal length, and contains in its interior two very small rudimentary shells, formed by the inner surface of the mantle. This shell becomes much more distinct in the loligo, where it is cartilaginous, and shaped like the blade of a sword. The internal shell of the common sepia is large and broad, and composed wholly of the carbonate of lime, it is well known by the name of cuttle-fish bone. Its structure is extremely curious, and deserves particular attention, as establishing the universality of the principle which regulates the formation of shells, whether external or internal, and from which structures differing much in their outward appearance may result. It is composed of an immense number of thin calcereous plates, arranged parallel to one another, and connected by thousands of minute hollow pillars of the same calcareous material, passing perpendicularly between the adjacent surfaces. This shell is not adherent to any internal part of the animal which has produced it, but is enclosed in a capsule, and appears like a foreign body impacted in the midst of organs with which at first sight it appears to have no relation. It no doubt is of use in giving mechanical support to the soft substance of the body, and especially to the surrounding muscular flesh, and thus probably contributes to the high energy which the animal displays in all its movements. It has been regarded as an internal skeleton, but it certainly has no pretensions to such a designation, for, although enveloped by the mantle, it is still formed by that organ, and the material of which it is composed, still carbonate of lime. On both these accounts it must be considered as a true shell, and classed among the productions of the integuments. It differs indeed altogether from bony structures, which are composed of a different kind of material, and formed on principles of growth totally dissimilar. Besides tentacula, the sepia is also provided with a pair of fleshy fins extending along the two sides of the body. The loligo has similar organs of a smaller size, and situated only at the extremity of the body which is opposite to the head. They have been regarded as the rudiments of true fins, which are organs developed in fishes, and which are supported by slender bones called rays, but no structure of this kind exists in the fins of the cephalopoda. In swimming, the organs principally employed by cuttle-fish for giving an effective impulse to the water are the tentacula. These they employ as oars, striking with them from behind forwards, so that their effort is to propel the hinder part of the body, which is thus made to advance foremost, the head following in the rear. They also use these organs as feet for moving along the bottom of the sea. In their progress under these circumstances, the head is always turned downwards, and the body upwards, so that the animal may be considered as litereally walking on its head!

     "The necessity of this position for the feet arises probably from the close investment of the mantle over the body; for although the mantle leaves an aperture in the neck for the entrance of water to the respiratory organs, yet in other respects it forms a sack, closed in every part, except where the head, neck and accompanying tentacula protude.

     In the calamary, as well as in the common sepia, two of the arms are much longer than the rest, and terminate in a thick cylindrical portion, covered with numerous suckers, which may not unaptly be compared to a hand.

     These processes are employed by cuttle-fish as anchors, for the purpose of fixing themselves firmly to rocks during violent agitations of the sea; and accordingly we find, that it is only the extremities of these long tentacula that are provided with suckers, while the short ones have them also along their whole length. The other genera of cephalopodous mollusca are like the sepia, provided with tentacula attached to the head. They comprehend animals differing exceedingly in size, some being very large, but a great number very minute and even microscopic." — See M. D'Orbigny, in the 'Annales des Sciences Naturelles,' vii. 96.

     "Other animals of this kind inhabit shells, one of which is the argonaut, or paper-nautilus, which possesses a shell, says Roget, "exceedingly thin, and almost pellucid, probably for the sake of lightness, for it is intended to be used as a boat. For the purpose of enabling the animal to avail itself of the impulses of the air while it is thus floating on the water, nature has furnished it with a thin membrane, which she has attached to two of the tentacula, so that it can be spread out like a sail, to catch the light winds which waft the animal forward on its course. While its diminuive bark is thus scudding over the surface of the deep, the assiduous navigator does not neglect to apply its tentacula as oars on either side, to direct as well as to accelerate its motion. No sooner does the breeze freshen, and the sea becomes ruffled, than the animal hastens to take down its sail, and quickly withdrawing its tentacula within its shell, renders itself specifically heavier than the water, and sinks immediately into more tranquil regions beneath the surface."

     Sir William Jardine on whales, in the 'Naturalist's Library,' vol. vi. p.162, regarding the food of the spermaceti whale, "ventures to suggest to those who may have frequent opportunities of observing, whether this whale may not also frequently resort to the medusæ and minute fish, which in so remarkable a manner supply food to some of the smaller as well as the other genera of the gigantic whales. That there is an abundant supply of this sustenance, both in the antarctic ocean, and the more smiling latitudes of the southern seas, can easily be proved by a reference to 'Lesson's Statements,' and also to those of Captain Colnett, who, when near the southern point of America observes, 'during this forenoon we passed several fields of spawn, which caused the water to bear the appearance of barley covering the surface of a bank.'" Orbigny also remarks, that there are immense tracts off the coast of Brazil, filled with small creatures so numerous as to impart a red colour to the sea; large portons are thus highly coloured, and receive from the whalers the name of Banc du Bresil. He also states that another similar bank occurs near Cape Horn, in 57° south latitude. "Statements of this sort," observes Sir William, "could easily be multiplied, and hence we cannot but suppose that this kind of food, which is ascertained to afford such rich nourishment to the other great cetacea, may, very possibly be appropriated by the sperm whale to the same purpose."

     This is an unaccountable error on the part of the compiler of the Naturalist's Library. The apparent banks above mentioned, and which I have myself frequently seen in various parts of the ocean, are certainly formed by myriads of medusæ, and other small animals which form the sustenance of the balæna mysticetus' or Greenland whale's food; which consists of animals of the shrimp tribe, and other minute creatures which are closely congregated, and swarm in those animated "banks," but of which the sperm whale never partakes, as it is not "very possible," but quite impossible that he could do so, however inclined he might be, on account of the organization of his feeding apparatus, which may be readily seen when its form is referred to.

     By what means could the sperm whale separate the minute animals which he might enclose within his jaws from the sea water in which they are contained? If the sperm whale had the means of doing so, of what use is the baleen plates or screens to the balænæ, or black whales, which are known to feed in the banks before adverted to?

     The sepia octopus, or "sea squid" as it is termed by whalers, sometimes reaches an enormous size. Mr. Henry Baker, F.R.S., in the Philosoophical Transactions for 1758, p.777, after having given an interesting description of a specimen, sent to him for examination by the Earl of Macclesfield, states that "it can, by spreading its arms abroad like a net, so fetter and entangle the prey they enclose when they are drawn together, as to render it incapable of exerting its strength; for, however feeble these branches or arms may be singly, their power united becomes surprising; and, we are assured, nature is so kind to these animals, that if in their struggles any of their arms are broken off, after some time they will grow again, of which a specimen at the British Museum is an undoubted proof, for a little new arm is there seen sprouting forth in the room of a large one which had been lost. "It is evident," he continues, "from what has been said, that the sea polypus, or octopus, must be terrible to the inhabitants of the waters in proportion to its size (and Pliny mentions one whose arms were thirty feet in length), for the close embraces of its arms and adhesion of its suckers must render the efforts of its prey ineffectual, either for resistance or escape, unless it be endued with an extraordinary degree of strength."

     Of the smaller genera of these animals the reader will find some interesting details, by referring to the appendix to Tuckey's Voyage to the Congo, vol.iii. There is also an account of a newly-discovered Cephalopod in the appendix to Sir J. Ross' Voyage to the Antarctic Regions.

     A gigantic cephalopod was discovered by Drs. Bank and Solander, in Captain Cook's first voyage, floating dead upon the sea, surrounded by birds, who were feeding on its remains. From the parts of this specimen which are still preserved in the Hunterian Collection, and which have always strongly excited the attention of naturalists, it must have measured at least six feet from the end of the tail to the end of the tentacles.

     But this last we must imagine a mere pigmy, when we consider the enormous dimensions of the one spoken of by Dr. Schewediawer, in the Phil. Trans. vol. lxxiii, p.226, whose tentaculum or limb measured twenty-seven feet in length; but let the Doctor speak for himself. "One of the gentlemen," says he, "who was so kind as to communicate to me his observations on this subject (ambergris) also, ten years ago, hooked a spermaceti whale that had in its mouth a tentaculum of the sepia octopodia nearly twenty-seven feet long! This did not appear its whole length, for one end was corroded by digestion, so that, in its natural state, it must have been a great deal longer. When we consider," says the Doctor, "the enormous bulk of the tentaculum here spoken of, we shall cease to wonder at the common saying of the fishermen, that the cuttle-fish is the largest fish of the ocean."

     In Todd's Cyclopædia of Anatomy, p.529, treating of cephalopoda, in an admirable paper by Mr. Owen, it states, that "the natives of the Polynesian Islands, who dive for shell-fish, have a well-founded dread and abhorence of these formidable cephalopods, and one cannot feel surprised that their fears should have perhaps exagerated their dimensions and destructive attributes."

     The same learned writer, after having beautifully described another animal of this order, observes — "Let the reader picture to himself the projecting margin of the horny hook developed into a long-curved, sharp-pointed claw, and these weapons clustered at the expanded terminations of the tentacles and arranged in a double alternate series, along the whole internal surface of the eight muscular feet, and he will have some idea of the formidable nature of the carnivorous onychoteuthis."

     This species of cephalopod is thus armed with those kind of teeth at the termination of the tentacles, in order to secure the "agile, slippery, and mucous-clad fishes" on which it preys. And there is an instance recorded in Sir Grenville Temple's Excursions in the Mediterranean by which we perceive that these terrible creatures sometimes prey upon men! "In those shallow waters," says Sir Grenville, "are caught great quantities of fish, by forming curved lines or palisades some way out to sea with palm branches, by which the fish that come up with the high water are retained when it recedes. The horrid polypus, which is, however, greedily eaten, abounds, and some are of enormous size. They prove at times highly dangerous to bathers.

     "An instance of this occurred two years since: a Sardinian captain, bathing at Jerbeh, felt one of his feet in the grasp of one of these animals; on this, with his other foot he tried to disengage himself, but this limb was immediately seized by another of the monster's arms; he then, with his hands, endeavoured to free himself, but these also, in succession, were firmly grasped by the polypus, and the poor man was shortly after found drowned, with all his limbs strongly bound together by the arms and legs of the fish; and it is extraordinary, that where this happened, the water was scarcely four feet in depth."

     Other species of these surprising animals, as the calamaries, or "flying squid," as they are termed by whalers, have the power of propelling themselves through the atmosphere. "There is good reason for believing," says Mr. Owen, "that some of the small, slender-bodied subulate species of this genus are enabled to strike the water with such force as to raise themselves above the surface, and dart, like the flying fish, for a short distance through the air." I have myself seen, very frequently, while in the north and south Pacific, tens of thousands of these animals dart simultaneously out of the water when pursued by albacore, or dolphins, and propel themselves head first, in a horizontal direction, for eighty or a hundred yards, assisting their progression, probably, by a rotary or screwing motion of their arms or tentacles, and which they have the power of thus moving with singlular velocity. This species also, as well as the large onychoteuthis, I am led to believe, often serves the sperm whale for food. I have seen, on several occasions, very large limbs of the latter species of squid floating on the surface of the ocean, appearing as if bitten off by some animal, most probably by the sperm whale, for when these remains have been seen, I have always looked most anxiously for those animals, and have never been disappointed in seeing them within a few hours afterwards.

     One day, being on the coast of Peru, off Paita-Head as it is called, which lies in about the latitude of five degrees south, I was startled at seeing a remarkable looking animal raising itself quickly to the surface of the sea by means of a number of very long flexible arms, which it threw about with great precision, in a rotatory or screwing-like motion, so that it appeared to move itself through the water with the same kind of acton than an eight-pronged corkscrew would maintain in passing through any penetrable substance. This curious animal, however, quickly disappearred; and it was not until I had explained its appearance to the captain, that I knew it to be a squid.

     On another occasion, and while upon the Bonin Islands, searching for shells on the rocks, which had just been left by the receding sea-tide, I was much astonished at seeing at my feet a most extraordinary looking animal, crawling towards the surf, which had only just left it. I had never seen one like it under such circumstances before; it therefore appeared the more remarkable. It was creeping on its eight legs, which, from their soft and flexible nature, bent considerably under the weight of its body, so that it was lifted by the efforts of its tentacula only, a small distance from the rocks. It appeared much alarmed at seeing me, and made every effort to escape, while I was not much in the humour to endeavour to capture so ugly a customer, whose appearance excited a feeling of disgust, not unmixed with fear. I however endeavoured to prevent its career, by pressing on one of its legs with my foot, but although I made use of considerable force for that purpose, its strength was so great that it several times quickly liberated its member, in spite of all the efforts I could employ in this way on wet slippery rocks. I now laid hold of one of the tentacles with my hand, and held it firmly, so that the limb appeared as if it would be torn asunder by our united strength. I soon gave it a powerful jerk, wishing to disengage it from the rocks to which it clung so forcibly by its suckers, which it effectually resisted; but the moment after, the apparently enraged animal lifted its head with its large eyes projecting from the middle of its body, and letting go its hold of the rocks, suddenly sprang upon my arm, which I had previously bared to my shoulder, for the purpose of thrusting it into holes in the rocks to discover shells, and clung with its suckers to it with great power, endeavouring to get its beak, which I could now see, between the roots of its arms, in a position to bite!