Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1885-02-27
WHALES or ALL SORTS.

Kheir Habits and Modes Of Life and War
The London Telegraph. alluding TO
an exhibition of different kinds Of
whales shortly to be given in the
Natural History Museum of London,
says:
How such spectacle as this changes
the ordinary ideas about the life that Is
lived under the sea. It is seen almost
at glance that that grieyous divisioa
of terrestrial existence into the eater;
and the eaten holds good in marine
communities also. On the one siae
are the toothless whales, prodigious in
bulk. but virtually defenseless aga a-t
attack; soft-bod.cd, and comparative
unwieldy. On the other are the iie.ss,,
.'toothed' whales, smaller in dinlsli-
sion. but in proportion swifter, fierce al
tigers and rs eruel Hare Is the
enormous fin~Whale, some seventy feet
in length, with its great helpless paws,
for they are little else, which it uses as
paddles. hanging idly down, and its
immense Jaws which, fringed with
whalebone, served it well enough as a
trap for diminutive erustaceans and
cuttle-tish, but are no weapon against
the crocodile-snout of its smaller
enemies. Next to it is 'thc
Killer Orca Gladiator, the wolf
of the sea, which looks upon the
Leyiathan as ordinary beasts of prey
regard fioeks and herds, and which
does not hesitate, with its hundred
weight of bulk to its victims ton. to
attack it. Sometimes they will hunt in
packs, and, surrounding one monst r.
will ferociously tear the living thing to
pieces, mouthful by mouthful. At 9TH
ers they chase the dolphin add the por-
poise, or kill the seal and the narwhal
Except that they do not haunt the ha--
bors of busy ports, follow ships. ard
otherwise seek human prey, t. e
stkillers," !" whales though they are. are
far more terrible creatures than tn.
sharks. There have been writer's who
have spoken of life under the ocean
wave as placidly, monotonously dull.
without any decided interests or excite
ments. Yet, looking round this whale
vault, with its fierce armature of fang
and tusk and horn, it is difficult. in
deed impossible, to believe that sub
aqueous existence is really uninterest-
ing. On the contrary, when we survey
forms so active and powerful in out
line, so pugnacious in expression,
so dreadfnlly armed for battle
with natural weapons, and fero-
cious rapidity of speed, we
see at once how awful mu
be the tragedies enacted in the impen-
etrable depths of the sea, and what
conflicts of race and for empire must
be continually waged. For mere cy-
istence alone the carnage passes beyond
human calculation, Look at that fin
ner whale there, with mouth in which
a tea party could be given. Imagine it
wide open and going ahead full speed
through a dense shoal of shrimps, a
porridge of small fry of all kinds.
Then think of those jaws suddenly
| closing upon good substantial mouth
| full substantial, that is to say, in pro-
portion to the mouth-ana after the tthIie
water has filtered out through the
whalebone fringes into the sea again,
fancy the whale swallowing all its cap
tiyes at a snap, and then opening its
mouth for more. Compared to this the
hecatomb was mere trifing with
sacrifice, a holocaust pure child s play.
Lives by the million, swirled gulp by
gulp down the monsters NAV; and
| next day the same monster, torn into
shreds by the gladiator .'orca, lay
scattered over acres of the sea as food
| for as many millicas more; and what
combats the fish must see! How the
lobster must twiddle his long an
tenna with excitement, or the
octopus on the rock look up with con-
of the rorquals, the leviathan encaun-
tiers of the cachalots! What seat
tering of smaller folk there must be
when the lighting whales come up.
and in close battalion charge with Their
ponderous heads! Over what spacious
| battle-felds the battle must range, and
how indescribably terrific the shock of
giants meeting in the green silence!
The conflict might be q nightmare, a
phantom struggle, but that the sea is
being dyed deeper and deeper red
round the enormous combatants, and
that the furious impact of the great
bodies sends responsive vibrations
through the sensitive depths, telling
the dwellers on the sea-bed and in
the crannied rocks that the giants
are at war. Or change the scene to
| fine weather with summer horizon
unclouded, and peace everywhere
what liberal education it must be to
| a sprat or dish of whitehall to see
| these Lords of the sea ranging tram
gully among their peers, and rolling
| through unmeasured fathoms iii care
! lass easel To live t1ns2ef. tho wafta.
and watch the whales 8. at home =
would be almost enough to reconcile
one to being fish.