The Portland daily press., 1895-01-05
WHALE AND sWoRDFlSH.
Duels Between the Two Told Of On the
Pacific Coast.

A few miles down the coast, high and dry
on the rocks of Point Pinos, is whale of
enormous proportions. 1t had evidently
been lying there for several days before it
was discovered. because large portions of
the blubber ana the eyes had been eaten
away by seals OF by the numerous birds of
prey that abound in this region, writes "a
coast correspondent Of the San Francisco
Chr onicle.
Some tourists who had been exploring the
rocks in search of abalones and other she'll
fish discovered tho monster, which appeared
from distance as though alive and basking
in the sun. Upon closer inspection it was
discovered that the carcass, for such it was.
had been wounded in many places ms
though large swords had been jabbed into
it. Not less than twenty of these ugly
wounds were in the belly of the huge sea
mammal.
These wounds were not the only peculiari-
ty about the fish, but the odd life-like posi-
tion that it had assumed was the thing TO
be wondered at. To the tourists 1t present.
ed novel sight. lying there right side up.
it's huge fins extended and to all appear
ances alive.
1t is so far above the low-water mark that
it is miracul GUS how it ever got there.
This is the second incident of this kind in
the last five years, and though whales are
plentiful in Monterey bay. and occasion
ally one is captured by some passing whal-
or near the wharf in old Monterey. theJ
seldom float ashore especially in the man
ner of this one.
About three years ago party of tourists
| in Monterey claimed to have witnessed a
marine duel between a swordfish and a
whale. From their description, and also
from the wounds found in the fish after it
| had landed. people here believe that this
mammal at Point Pinos was the victim OF
the swordfish. This is borne out by the
| fishermen who have seen his last specimen.
They look at it in wonder, and even the
old whalers who have caught whales all
their lives shake their heads and say they
cannot explain how this large carcass got
| into the position it is now in.
They say, however. that it may well be
surmised that the fish is the victim uf the
swordfsh. Probabl it was assisted by a
| thresher, for though the tbresher is an enc
| my Of the swordfish it will readily enter in
| the fight with swordtish against whale,
and from the singular position of the
whale it is hard to tell whether the mon
ster was alive or not when it came ashore,
| but it is thought probable that in its frenzy
| from the pains of the wounds inflicted by
the swordtish. and in lis panic. the whale
dashed itself on the rocks and was left
there by the tide to die of that swordfish's
well-aimed thrusts.
it is hardly an even thing to p ut a sword
fish against a whale, fors the former is not
over fourteen feet In length, but the
smaller fish makes up in strength and agil-
ity all that it lacks in size. In attacking
| whale the swordfsh strikes at vital
spot where the mammals skin is thiDnest,
| and in attacking which it is in little dam
ger of a blow from the mighty tail of its
prey.
In the last few days many tourists and
townsmen have visited Point Pinos t.
see this whale that has caused so much
| comment among the old whaIers.
1t is right whale of the mysticetus spe-
cies, and it is the most valuable of its kind,
both on account of the oil and the bone. AS
| this one has been on the rocks SO long it is
doubtful whether the oil will be of any
value, but the bone is worth somebody
time and trouble. 1t measures tifty-two
| feet In length.