Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1901-10-03
WHALES.
whales in the sea.
Great fish they be. ="

TOI luOSe udJuIdIIsIS WIN Will P0AoAS'
in destroying so many Of the beliefs
of childhood. If the teacher of histo-
ry will take away the romance from
Pocahontas, and almost annihilate our
faith in Columbus, can we not be al
lowed just few fallacies in natural
history? But no; awhale is no longer
a fish, distant relative of the mer-
maid, but an animal, a mammal, and
where is the poetry of the creature
now?
Even its bones have all been num-
bered, and arrangements of muscles
noted, and recently one poor lady
whale has been towed into Boston har-
Dor and ANONYMOUSLY exhibited to
the gaze of the curious in a dry dock !
Shall soon expect an exhibition Of the
sea-serpent whose repeated appearance
annually off Nahant has cost the ex-
penditure of so much printers ink.
1t may be inferred that nine out Of
every ten American children first hear
of the whale from the Bible account Of
Jonah, and many are the speculations
concerning the feelings of the prophet
in his strange imprisonment.
Whether regarded as pure allegory
or truly miraculous experience, the
story is decidedly impressive to young
and old. With the modern practice
Of testing all assertions, inspired or
human, the possibility of whale swal-
lowing human body has been duly
discussed. We learn that the Green
land or right whale has a throat only
one and one-half inches in diameter
and that it subsists on the small orders
of marine life. The sperm whale, or
cachalot, on the contrary, has throat
sufficiently large to allow the passage
of great bodies, and the cuttle-fsh is
its frequent diet. So with what in
tense delight the inquisitive American
mind must settle upon the fact Of this
being the particular kind of whale
that swallowed Jonah
Whales have wonderful develop
ment of head, occupying from one
fourth to one-third the entire body.
Had these animals power Of thought
equal to their brain dimensions, Of
what might they not be capable?
The Greenland whale exhibits de-
cided aversion to warm water, and will
not even cross the Gulf Stream. AS
among land fauna mountains separate
distinct species, so few degrees Fahr-
enheit cause equally impossible bar
riers to the inhabitants OF the sea. I'm
der the skin of the right whale ia found
a layer of fat, or blubber, a foot or
more in thickness, most curious and
effective protection against cold, but
quite superAuous in warm latitudes.
This blubber possesses great CONNER
cial value. For this, alone, so many
ships with brave crews have sailed
from our shores. A visitor to Nan
tucket or New Bedford will hear many
a story of the whaling of the past, tales
ofadventure to thrill a boys heart,
and tinge his dreams with visions Of
huge monsters approaching with ex-
tended jaws, or ready to upset large
boats with the flap of their ponderous
tails.
On first hearing Of whalebone it is
to be inferred that the word refers to
the supporting frame work Of the body,
like the bones of an OK.
Rather is this baleen simply f.
brous, elastic substance, filling the
mouth instead of teeth, and acting as
a sieve through which the food is sifted.
Voyagers across the Atlantic are
frequently favored with the sight Of
the blowing or spouting of the whale.
This spectacle, however impressive to
the observer, is simply its common
method of clearing its throat and lungs.
A whale cannot breathe long under
water, seldom remaining below more
than ten minutes. This furnishes
another convincing proof Of the whale
being animal rather than fish.
The Greenland whale is often found
alone, or swimming in pairs, while the
sperm whales show greater sociability,
frequently in schools. :"
To no people has this aea-dweller
been more useful than to the Esqui-
maux, who not only consume its flesh,
but employ the baleen in making tents
and its sinews for thread. Sometimes
the membranes of the animal serve as
a substitute for window glass.
From the sperm whales is procured