Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-03-28
CATHOLIC BIBLES.

lliSL group DelOnS tnc sperm Wudle Af'uy-
setter macrocephalus)-from which are
obtained spermaceti. ambergris. and
sperm oil-and the dolphins; to the Sc
cond. the Greenland or right whale
CBalaena mysticetus). the humpback
CMegaptera boops), and the finners or
rorquals (of the genus Balaenoptera).
The whales of this second group live on
small marine animals. In feeding, a
great gulp OF water, containing an I'M
mense number Of these tiny creatures. Is
taken in and the mouth closed. The
whalebone allows the water TO run Off
and retains the prey to be swallowed.
The great object OF the northern whale
fishery IN both hemispheres was the
/ right whale, and the pursuit was at
one time highly remunerative. In the
early part Of the century the British
whaling fleet consisted OF over $50 ships.
of which London furnished about half,
while Bristol and Whitby sent a con-
siderable number. Now Dundee and
Peterhead are the only whaling ports,
and the total number Of the ships Is
probably under a dozen. Indeed, owing
/ TO the scarcity OF right whales IN north
ern waters, a feet of four whalers was
! sent In 1892 from Dundee to the Antarctic
/ in search of these animals, which Sir
/ James Ross reported as occurring in
abundance in that region. About the
same time the Jason-in which Nansen
/ made his first voyage TO the Arctic re-
| gions-was dispatched from Norway on
a similar errand, and other Norwegian
whalers have since visited the same seas.
| The result has been extremely disap-
pointing.
A naturalist who sailed in one Of the
Dundee whalers says: whales were the
! objects of our voyage, and we saw many.
! but none that were worth the catch
Z ing" and he adds that none Of the YES
sells found any signs Of a whale In the
] least resembling the Greenland species,
/ although they were in the ice for a period
extending over two months. 1t is, Of
course, impossible TO say whether Ross
/ was mistaken. His statements are deli
mite enough. and he also speaks Of the
| sea being full OF the small crustaceans
! and mOllusks which form the food OF
! the right whale But neither right
! whales nor their characteristic food glad
| dened the eyes of Scotch or Norwegian
i whalers, though fn-whales and their
/ characteristic food were met with in
/ plenty.
The whales now Astounding on the
coast OF Newfoundland probably belong
| TO five distinct species, contained In two
/ genera. These range over the North
! Atlantic. ana are found In nearly all
/
mems of all the forms have, at one time
or other, been met with on our own
I shores The humpback CMegaptera
1 boops) is so called by whalers from the
low, humplIke form OF the dorsal lin,
which varies greatly In shape and size
in different individuals, and is generally
spoken of as 1.-The hump" The skin IN
derneath the throat Is gathered into
folds and ridges, as it Is also In the I'm
I ffr,,l, fnG -
responding to the human arms and TO
the forelegs OF an OK or a horse, are
Extraordinarily long. Ii has been
characterized as decidedly ugly" and
I IL Ia certainly far from being so SYM
metrical in form as most OF the fin
backs. The usual length is said TO be
from 40 TO 80 feet, but Scammon records
one which yielded seventy-one barrels
OF oil, and was "adjudged TO be 70 feet
! n length" Estimated lengths are ex-
tssmely untrustworthy and - feet is
the greatest measurement the same au-
thor gives for humpback, over which
the tape had been passed. He puts the
yield of whalebone as averaging four
/ mounds TO every barrel OF oil, so that
this whale should have yielded just two
hundred-weight and a hail. or the fin-
backs. or rorquals. there are probably
four species--the common finback (Ba-
Ieanoptera musculus) the sulphur bot
tom (B. SibbaldD. the blue whale OF
the Norwegians. Rudolphfs whale Oh.
borealls), and the lesser fin-whale (B.
rostrata) All these yield whalebone and
blubber. though not in such quantity, or
of such good quality as those Of the
right whale. For this reason. and also
on account OF their great activity. and
the difficulty OF capturing them by hand
harpooning. they were formerly neglect
ed by whalers. but since the employ
ment of steam vessels, with bomD-guns
and explosive lances. a fishery has been
established on the Norway coast. with
a factory at Hammerfest. for the utiliza-
ton of the products.
The work carried on there consists