Jenks's Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland [Me.]) 1799-1802, 1800-12-01


lkin and the heih with thick coat Of fat,which
is con monty called blubber, which alto renders
them The more buoyant in water. They can
not, i Is Cblerved, continue like other fih long
under water, but come very frequently 10 the
furface for frslh fupply Of air. The eye of
whale IS fcarce larger than that Of an OK,
and yet they are Eaid to be quick of fight.
Thsie animals (for they are 70 called GER
tainly utter POUNDS, and below, but BY inRina
do not ieem to underRar6. You hear their
roar in calm day at a VAT di9ance They
have, Xix: mott Of our fihes, internal organs
for hearing Whale have an exte nal orif-e,
called the blow hole in the forepaft of The head,
near the brain, through which they equently
lPout out water, which they are uppoted II
have taken in while opening their mouths for
their prey. This Geamen call blowing it goes
down with great force, and throws The water
TO great hight, to 20 or 90 yards high, Ike
magnificent 1T dean, and is very entertaining to
obferve. When they are dying, they fpout
blood from this blow hole, and cover the Tea.
men entirely with blood, Ike butchers in
laugh e-ing houle. Their tongues are com
pared to the appearance of VAT feather bed
The head q the whale is commonly about
one third of the animal. the fame as IS he cafe
with the todiih. The jaw-bones, which are
commonly and miAakeniy called the whales
RIBS, fu94in the und,r lip Of the whale, and are
zote5t long thele are exceeding porous, and
full Of al. to tx'raEt which lie Greenland FIJI
ers laih them end wife to the fhr ouds, and at.
zach 4 barrel u the lower end, which being cut,
he oil drop' gradually into the ca1k From
2 h. al IL. -
what j ca.ltd The whalehonc, which, when ipHt
IS applied 10 luch various ules as are well
known.
The throat of Greenland Or common whale
will not admit Of q larger fifth than a herring,
and not more than one If them at time the
nhde # the mouth contains hair longer than a
he ie's main, in " hich are found hundreds Of
fmaIl hih-s, Ike thrmPs, the food AZ this mon.
Ger but their general food does MT appear
to be fiji, bot lrnall iDfeG called by the III
anders, qyalf,Ieb5m (Vhale fiji chewing, which
are delcribed to be about The Gze Of bean,
black, and not unlike bee le without lis out
ward or kcrny wing. They have very fen
De- kind Of film, or wing, and often float in
great Quantities On the furface Of the water
in TAXI . re(embling raw mufle. Theie he
vh le ikim' ~ with his vaG Jaw, and the barbs
IF what We clll wha'ebone, within the mouth,
t-rv- fer teeth 70 hruTe and prepare them for
iwa loving down his narrow threat.
Whales produce only one or two Young az
I birth, and theft they fuckle from the breaRs,
Ike the human frecies. Their tails differ rc.
markedly from other fiji, 5eng fat or horizon.
al or the water, rs lhe filth ordinarily twins.
(other having theirs perpendicular 70 the for
fac To this PerPendcnlarity natu-aliRs al
Ggn the cafe and readinefs with which they
afceod II take air, and again defend.
X is a7oCt ~ feet broad il full grown f1
when ictu-rl on one Tide, and Rrikes with his
tail, tbs BIO. as may be fuppofedis prodigious
Kepca ca irfances have occurred Of boats ard
their whole crews being d4thed to pieces by one
ct theie tremendous trokss from wounded
and enragedf,h. Formerly whales were taken
from 200 10 Ego feet in length, but what are
now ordinarily met with ulually run from 10
TO 4o, up 70 50 or 90 feet the l2rge2 Of which
lat are about 20 feet high, the height of three
men. Male and femae whale are wonderful
ly attached to each other ard Especially 70 to
their young. When paired, if one be killed, the
other will By no means quit It, even when dead
The fpermaceti whale IS found in warm lat
itudes. In and near the Mediterranean, there
are comfortable numbers. Thole on the fouth-
ern ffhery Din purfuit of the fpermaceti whale.
which is longer in general, than the black
Greenland whale, but nor r. thick and fat A
fin called finer is ALTO a longer, hut nor 70
thick an animal as the above, from which alone
genuine iPsrmaceti oil, candles, &c. can be man
but i is frequently adnltered with
Other hih OIL but with 70 little injury, as to be
Thief. lai lhips are ufually from
II 70 IS months On Their voyage. The Zeal
flhery may be reckoned branch of this trade,
and fhiPs from HulI are lometimes defined to
that employ. Theie boil their blubber in the
while the Creenlandmen bring theirs
horne. Thefe feldom exceed o. feet in length,
and IS feetin height; but often little more
than half that fize. This is more Fender and
astive animal than The northern whale.