Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-11-28
THE WHALE.
Washington Scientist Tells All He
Knows About the Great Mann
NAL.
That Little Story About Jonah-Well
Study Natural History.
Mother Whale Beings Forth but One
or Two at a Birth.

The field of scientific research is so broad
that the modern scientist can hope to conquer
but one department Such a thing as an
all-around scientist is not likely to exist in
years to tome, and the man who successful
" covers lone branch of scientific research
is proc W
Of a modern scientists engaged in the
work c Investigation, perhaps none have
adopte 4 field more peculiar and enter
tainin than Professor Frederick w True,
of the ational Museum. Professor True
is ng man, but, he has already spent
five ars of his career as a scientist in
looF up one subject. namely, whales.
reason that my attention was di-
re to the subject particularly, said
P sor True to Post reporter, WAS the
fl lat so little was known to scientific
II concerning whales. The work of
Z gy either treated the whale with few
g D Civilizations or ignored it altogether.
My purpose has been to cover this field as
well as it can possibly he done with such
sources of information as are available To
illustrate the lack of scientific knowledge
that exists, | need Only to say that zoOl0-
glsts do not even agree upon the names of
the species. They have never been proper
" classified and there are specimens that
go by one scientific name on tEis side of
the water and by an altogether different
name on the other side. 1t is because the
specimens In the museums of this country
and those In Europe have never been COM
pared.
"Such being the condition of the liter
allure on the subject | resolved to visit the
museums of Europe and to examine all the
types and specimens to which | could gain
access. | spent four months In England
and the continent of Europe In the study
of the specimens in question. Of the genera
Osca (the killers many additional facts have
to be obtained before even tolerably salts
factory account of them can be written
But these matters are merely of scientific
value and few readers would be interested
in these details, no matter how much time
the investigator had spent In, determin-
ing them. >
''From what source do you get your in
formation about whales?''
''As | have already stated we do not get
much.
ONLY ABOUT EIGHTEEN SPECIES
of the fifty-six that frequent the coast of
North America are well known, and the ma
jority Of these forms havenot long been under
observation. The number Of species whose
habits, variations, and distribution are
thoroughly understood is still small. There
are doubtless many persons In the fishing
towns along the Atlantic who have the
opportunity to observe the habits of the
Atlancic species under various conditions
and it is to be regretted that their observa-
tions have not been recorded. We have
been enabled to secure more information
through the agency of the life saving sa-
tiOns than through any other source.
''Do the whalers furnish much of value? "
They have furnished practically all that
is known Of the habits of certain species
of whales. But whaling is declining in
dustry. The oil is no longer as valuable
as it was years ago. Other oils have sup
planted it, and now whaling is hardly a
profitable occupation. At best the field of
observation is limited The life Of the
whale is passed with but little of it being
visible, and it is not an approachable ami
NAL What is known Of its life has been
obtained at long range, and many errors
have thereby crept In. All the romance
about thrilling adventures In the capture
of the whale have had their day. 1t is
still regarded as dangerous occupation,
but nothing like what it was in the past
You will hear no more stories Of hand har-
pooning and the smoking line running out
over the bow, the boat towed by levia-
than at lightning speed, and all these de
tails that Illuminated the old-time stories
of the sea. Now whales are killed with d
bomb-lance, fired as any other projectile,
at moderately long range. 1t carries an
explosive substance that detonates when
the lance enters the body of the whale,
This is the modern way The whale is
generally harpooned afterward in order to
make it FAST and unless this is attempted
before the whale is dead it is not attended
with any danger
What are some of the popular fallacies
in regard to whales?"
I'm the first place the greatest of them all
is that the whale is fish.