. Brehm's Life of animals : a complete natural history for popular home instruction and for the use of schools. Mammalia. Mammals; Animal behavior. THE SPERM WHALES. 577 to the upper one, and also move it laterally to a remarkable extent. When it is harpooned, it sometimes remains lying quite still in the water'for a few moments as though it were paralyzed, thus giving a vigilant whaler opportunity to despatch it quickly. As a rule, however, it engages in a des- perate conflict for its life and by no means always seeks safety in flight, but retaliates for the injury received, with stern fury.
. Brehm's Life of animals : a complete natural history for popular home instruction and for the use of schools. Mammalia. Mammals; Animal behavior. THE SPERM WHALES. 577 to the upper one, and also move it laterally to a remarkable extent. When it is harpooned, it sometimes remains lying quite still in the water'for a few moments as though it were paralyzed, thus giving a vigilant whaler opportunity to despatch it quickly. As a rule, however, it engages in a des- perate conflict for its life and by no means always seeks safety in flight, but retaliates for the injury received, with stern fury. All experienced seafarers have stories to tell about accidents, caused by it; some of these tales maybe exaggerated or invented, but others have been thoroughly proven. Adventure of What- The ship Nantucket was made a ers with Sperm complete wreck, in the year 1807 Whales. by a Sperm Whaki off the cQas' of Massachusetts. In 1820 the boats of the ship Essex hunted a school of Sperm Whales in the South Sea, while ^3=11=11111^ the ship was following under shortened sail. A gigantic bull appeared in proximity to the ship &yjjgij and leisurely swimming up to it, st rue k against it. as it seemed, quite accidentally. The ship was severely shaken and the Whale also ap- peared to bo seriously injured, for it rolled furiously about in the water; soon, however, it recovered and mule off —at least such was the belief of the crew, who were w o rk i n g at the pumps, for a consider- able leak had been sprung in consequence of the collision. The Whale was seen to sud- denly halt at a distance of about one hundred fathoms, turn around and charge full at the vessel; it struck one side of the bow and crushed it to such an extent that the ship immediately began to sink. Some old'bulls are well known to the whalers, and have ac- quired a kind of celeb- rity as "fighting Whales," or "biting Whales," as for instance " New Zealand Tom," a gigantic fellow, named af
Size: 1769px × 1412px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjecta, booksubjectmammals
