. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. 428 THE RORQUAL WHALE. The bulk of this animal is greater than that of any other Whale, as many specimens have been Know a to attain a length of more than one hundred feet, and one or two have reached the extraordinary length of one hundred and twenty feet. By inexperienced whalers it is some- times mistaken for the Greenland Whale and harpooned, but is very seldom killed; for the creature is so remarkably active and fearless, that in many cases the aggressors have paid dearly for their
. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. 428 THE RORQUAL WHALE. The bulk of this animal is greater than that of any other Whale, as many specimens have been Know a to attain a length of more than one hundred feet, and one or two have reached the extraordinary length of one hundred and twenty feet. By inexperienced whalers it is some- times mistaken for the Greenland Whale and harpooned, but is very seldom killed; for the creature is so remarkably active and fearless, that in many cases the aggressors have paid dearly for their error by a crushed boat and the loss of several lives. On one such occasion the Rorqual stalled off in a direct line, and at such a speed that the men lost their presence of mind, and forgol to cut the rope that connected the Whale with the boat. Making directly for a neighboring ice-field, the Rorqual shot under it, and drew the boat with all its crew beneath the ice, where thej disappeared forever from the gaze of RORQUAL.—Balanoplera tmojis, Physalus antiquorum. Mr. Scoresby, desiring to secure one of these powerful animals, made preparations for the chase by employing very short lines, only two hundred fathoms in length, and attaching a buoy to each of their extremities, in order to tire out the creature by the resistance which they would offer to the water through which they would be dragged by the Whale. Two Rorquals were struck, and in both cases the intended victims escaped. In the first instance, the Whale dived with such inqutnous speed that the line snapped by the resistance of the buoy against the surface of the water, and in the second case the line only held together for a single minute, and was severed apparently by friction against the dorsal fin. A third Ror- qual was afterwards harpooned through the error of the seamen, who mistook it for a Green- land Whale. As soon as it felt the sting of the harpoon, the animal dived with such rapidity that it c
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