The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1882-02-16
ABOUT WHALES,
Their Habits, Age, Size, and What Til,
Eat.

Their Habits, Age, Size, and What They
Eat.
Popular Science Monthly.
A CORE spondent of Land and Water" who
accompanied the Dundee whaling fleet to
Davis Strait and Lancaster Sound last
summer, mentions the change that has
taken place in the geographical distribution
OF the Arctic whale. A century or two ago
this animal was found everywhere north of
the sixtieth degree oflatitude, and extended
many degrees farther south on the east
const of America. 1t abounded on tho
northern shores OF Europe and tho coast of
Iceland and Greenland, frequenting the
islands of Jan Meyen and Spitzbereen in
incredible numbers. Now it has deserted
Spitzbe1gen and the north of Europe, it is
becoming rare on the coasts Of Greenland,
and seems to be retiring farther into the
11nimpenetable recesses of the Polar Sea.
Whalemen are not agreed as to whether the
animals are actually diminishing in num-
bers. Some believe that they are still as
numerous as they were at the beginning of
the century: others predict that the time of
their total extinction is approaching. They
are still sometimes seen in enormous num-
beers. Whales exceeding fortv-seven and
forty eight feet in length are caught every
year.
Captain Deuchars, of the Dundeefieet, two
years ago took whale sixty five feet long,
the "bone" of which measured twelve feet
ten inches and which gave twenty four tons
of pure oil. The largest whale ever caught
in Davis Strait, in 1649, had a "bone" four
teen feet long, and yielded twenty seven
tons of oil. The destruction of @suckers,"
or baby whales, which is considerable, may
have something to do with the present de-
cadence OF the fishery. Whalemen think
that no animal should be killed whose
"bone" is not more than six feet long.
Whales may live to q very great age. AL
though dead ones are often found floating
on the water, none are ever discovered that
have died from natural causes. Whales
are homogeneous. and are much attached
to their consorts. The correspondent who
furnishes these facts tells of an animal
which came back every day for fortnight
through great peril from the fleet to the
place where its mate had been taken, regu-
larry going over the course followed by her
III her fight, looking for her. The ami
mails sleep on the surface of the water, en-
joy fine weather and sunshine, and are Of
ten seen at play on bright days. When thoy
are together in large numbers the water be-
comes covered with an oily emulation from
their bodies, which has sickly smell and
attracts hocks OF finally" petrels. They
can live only on the most minute mariue
animals, for, though whales mouth would
hold a whale boat with all its crew,
its gullet would be choked By herring.
When feeding, it swims through the water
with its mouth wide open, q constant stream
passing in at the 'front.' through the upright
whalebone pl,tcs at the sides. and out
again at the back The small animals
which form its food are entangled IN the
long hairs which fringe the internal
edges Of the Plates, and from time to
time, as they become collected in sufficient
numbers, the whale closes its mouth, raises
its tongue, and swallows the mass Its
f;vorite food is black mollusk, resembling
humble bes, and. after this, jelly fish, of
which it takes millions to make a meal.
fortunately for the whale, these creatures
. closely massed togethe, IN shoals many
square miles in extent. After man, the
wales worst enemy is the grampus. WHICH
attacks it savagely, and Is very destructive
to the species. It's protection from both
enemies is the ice; and it ia, consequent
", now found almost exclusively in the
neighborhood Of ice.