Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-04-18
sOMETHEvG .sBOUT WHALES.

Inc velocity Win winch right whale
can make It's way through the water is as
tonlshipg-far beyond what Is generally
supposed. Its ordinary rate of speed is
moderate enough; but when boat be-
comes fastened 10 one by the harpoon, or 1t
gets "gallied" ir any way, II rusl es off at q
rate that would leave the feetest locomo-
tive far behind. What a whales best speed
is has never been exactly ascertaiued, but
the following anecdote related of one Is
given as true, and seems TO imply that II is
only little less than that of electricity: "a
whale-sbip, fishing off the western coast of
Greenland, one day struck large right
whale-the largest the whalesmen had seen
during the cruise. Leviathan started off
in westerly direction and night coming
on, the boats were obliged to cut from him,
leaving the iron still sticking in his flesh.
That was the last they ever saw of him;
but two days after, another vessel, engaged
in the same business, caught the same
whac-of course identified by the irons
in the Polar basin, near Behring's straitsv'
He had thus made the famous northwest
passage in A. hours-the quickest time on
record.
The food Of the right whale consists of
small sea insects, or meduse, known 10
whalesm IN as "brit." These animacules
are of reddish color, and generally about
the size of mustard seed, though some
times very much larger, some being nearly
half an inch long. They float in immense
shoals upon the surface of the sea, some
times coloring the water to the extent of
many miles as If IL were blood. The whale
swims in amongst them, with its lips drop
ped fiat along, or a little below, the sur
face and when large quantities of the
"brit' have surgcd into its yawniug cape,
1t closes its lips in an upward direction,
| scooping the insects into its mouth, and
along with them several hogsheads of sea-
water. The jaws are then opened again,
and with grand outward breath the wafer
is elected through the whaiebone fringes,
leaving the insects clnging to the coating
of hair inside, there to be gathered up by
the whales great tongue and sent whole
sale into its stomach.
Why the throat of this, which is almost
the largest animal in existence, should be
no larger than that of horse or OK may
appear an etcentricity of nature. Yet such
is the case with Leviathan, to the perplex-
ing of naturalists. Tho Bible readers, too,
may be puzzled by it, for certainly the
whale that swallowed Jonah could not have
been right whale.
AS far as is known whales are wholly un-
iparous, no account being given of their
having more than one calf at time. The
young of the right whale is at birth about
u feet long, and weighs nearly ton. II
resembles the parents in every respect, ex-
cept in size and color the latter being 8
shade lighter than in the full-grown ami
mails. The cows are strongly attached tc
their young and though at other times in
offensive, and evidently unused to war;
fare, they are ever ready TO defend their
offspring with fearlessness and fury, ant
will attack boats or even ships in revenge
for injury inflicted upon it. When the cal
is first born, the dam teaches it to swim, by
keeping close alongside of ituntil the little
one gets tired, when she will dive unde
and raise it up so that il may rest upon he
back. At this season the cows are yer,
savage, and IL is always regarded as dan
gerous movement to strike a whale cali
though it is sometimes done for the purpose
of bringing the "school' to halt. Whe,
a right whale is sucking its calf, the guam
tity of milk is enormous; and If the nam
mae be cut open, the flow will whiten th
ocean for rods around. When accompan
led by its young, the right whale general
: endeavors to keep "on soundings," proba
bly, for the purpose of having within cas-
reach a resting place for the calf.
Whether tho right whales are migator
in the ordinary sense of the word is no
known, but certain it is that no depend
, ence can be placed on their movement.
They appear and disappear almost mystic
riously at times, and no one can imagin
. whence they come or whittier they go. TIC
: day, scores may be counted from the mast
head, all steadily moving in the same d
rection, tomorrow, not one will be in sigh
SereIal days after, you meet vessel con
ing from the direction in which they ha
disappeared, and learn from her that not
: tluke has been seen. While you are wor
derng at this you are startled by the cry
"There she blows - and the next momel
the ocean is alive with them, all moving
one drecton-perhaps the very opposi
U to that they were going when last seer
Where they stray TO in their perambul;
! tons is a mystery, unless We may supp S
them to nave been hidden under waite
but this. from the necessity of their comm
t TO the surface for respiration, is plainly in
possible. This habit of hide and-seek b
longs also 10 the bow-head whales, and
perhaps, mos peculiar TO them than to Il
black species.
A very singular circumstance connectt
with the habits of these great cetaceans
;, the mode of communication that exists
II tween them. By some sort Of telegraph
II yet unexplained, one SCHOOL can give n
y tice of danger to another at n distance
.. several miles. This has been often obser
ed, and may be seen from the mast head
% any time when two schools are in sigl
d and an individual in either has been strut
Is by the harpoou. The moment the iron
r fast, the spectator will see the whales of {
= more distant school-it may be five mil
IS or more off-rushing in strlght line fro
W the scene of danger.-IoD Day.
)e
~ A VERY REMARKABLE SToRY.-Tbe
lived in Brooklyn, not long ago, a nj
possessed of devil. He had inherited [
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