Chapter I: Preface

In this book I have endeavored to tell of modern shore whaling as I have seen it during the past eight years while collecting and studying cetaceans for the American Museum of Natural History. This work carried me twice around the world, as well as northward on two expeditions to Alaska, and southward to the tropic waters of Borneo and the Dutch East Indies.

I have also tried to give, in a readable way, some of the most interesting facts about whales and their habits, confining myself, however, to those species which form the basis of the shore whaling industry, or are commercially important, and which have come under my personal observation.

In all of this work the camera has necessarily played a large part, for it is only by means of photographs that whales can be seen in future study as they appear alive or when freshly killed. It is hardly necessary to say that the photographing has been intensely interesting, and to any one who is in search of real excitement I can heartily recommend camera hunting for whales.

It should be understood that this book is in no sense a manual of the large Cetacea. I hope, however, at some future time to write a volume which will treat of this wonderful mammalian order in a less casual way, and thus satisfy a desire which has been ever present in my mind since I began the study of whales.

Some portions of this book have been published as separate articles in the _American Museum Journal_, _World’s Work_, _Metropolitan_, _Outing_, _National Geographic_, and other magazines, but by far the greater part of it is new.

There have been many pleasurable sides to the work, but one of the most delightful has been the friends that I have made, and my cordial reception by the officials of the whaling companies in whatever corner of the world I have chanced to be.

Space will not permit me to mention all those to whom I am indebted and who have contributed to the success of the various expeditions, but I wish first to express my gratitude to the Trustees of the American Museum of Natural History, under whose auspices all my work upon cetaceans has been conducted, and especially to President Henry Fairfield Osborn for his encouragement and wise counsel.

Captains I. N. Hibberd and John Barneson have never failed in kindness and the President and Directors of the Toyo Hogei Kabushiki Kaisha of Osaka, and Mr. D. Ogiwara of Shimonoseki, Japan, are in a large measure responsible for the success of the work conducted in the Orient. Not only did these gentlemen freely extend the courtesies of their ships and stations, but also presented to the American Museum of Natural History skeletons of all the large Japanese cetaceans, which are the only specimens of Asiatic whales in America.

Thanks are due to the Directors of the (former) Pacific Whaling Company of Victoria, B. C., and to the (former) managers of the stations, Mr. Sidney C. Ruck, V. H. Street and J. H. Quinton. Mr. Ruck also furnished me with valuable data as to the progress of the American West Coast whaling industry and assisted in other ways.

I cannot mention, individually, all the gunners who have entertained me ashore and afloat, but the kindness of Captains H. G. Melsom, Fred Olsen and Y. E. Andersen I shall never forget. Captain Melsom has also read portions of the manuscript of this book and in criticism has afforded me the benefit of his long experience and keen observation.

My wife, Yvette Borup Andrews, has transcribed practically all of this book from my dictation and has assisted in numberless other ways throughout its preparation, and to her my thanks are due.

Lastly, I wish to express my gratitude for material assistance throughout the work upon cetaceans to Dr. Frederic A. Lucas, Director of the Museum; Dr. J. A. Allen, Dr. Herman C. Bumpus, Messrs. George H. Sherwood, (late) George S. Bowdoin and Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Bernheimer.

ROY CHAPMAN ANDREWS,
American Museum of Natural History,
New York City.

_February 8, 1916._

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PAGE

The development of shore whaling and its progress throughout the
world—The floating factory—A modern shore station—The ship,
harpoon-gun and apparatus—What shore whaling is doing for
science 1

CHAPTER I

MY FIRST WHALE HUNT

Making ready for the hunt—Three humpbacks sighted—The first
kill—Inflating the whale—Cutting in a whale by
machinery—Disposition of the parts 22

CHAPTER II

HOW A HUMPBACK DIVES AND SPOUTS

Diving—How far down whales can go—Spouting—Construction of the
blowholes 38

CHAPTER III

AN EXCITING EXPERIENCE IN ALASKA

A fruitless chase of two humpbacks—Another humpback sighted—It
bursts from the water half under the vessel’s side 46

CHAPTER IV

THE “VOICE” OF WHALES AND SOME INTERESTING HABITS

The voice—How long whales can remain under water—Where whales
sleep—The “double-finned” whale 54

CHAPTER V

THE PLAYFUL HUMPBACK

The whalebone, or baleen—What whales eat and how—Affection for
young—The fighting qualities of humpbacks—Breeding
habits—Nursing the baby whale with milk—A story of whale milking 63

CHAPTER VI

JAPANESE SHORE STATIONS

Studying whales in Japan—Japanese shore stations and their method
of cutting in—Cutting in at night—Whale meat as a food 77

CHAPTER VII

A JAPANESE WHALE HUNT

Hunting sei whales off the coast of North Japan—The whale
runs—Moving pictures—The second whale 91

CHAPTER VIII

CHARGED BY A WILD SEI WHALE

The first sight—The shot—The charge—The death flurry—Sharks 107

CHAPTER IX

HABITS OF THE SEI WHALE

A distinct species—Wandering disposition—Migration—Distinguishing
characteristics—Food—Speed 122

CHAPTER X

A LONG BLUE WHALE CHASE

The whale runs—The ship dragged through the water—A broken harpoon
line—Caught after a day’s chase 129

CHAPTER XI

THE LARGEST ANIMAL THAT EVER LIVED

Weight and size of a blue whale—Why whales grow so large—A
new-born baby 25 feet long—The wonderful strength of a blue
whale—A remarkable hunt described by J. G. Millais 140

CHAPTER XII

WHAT HAS BECOME OF THE WHALE’S LEGS

Watching a whale swim—The flippers and hind-limbs—Ventral
folds—Blubber—A blue whale which followed a ship 24 days 148

CHAPTER XIII

THE GREYHOUND OF THE SEA

A finback hunt in Alaska—A finback struck by two harpoons—Finished
with the lance—A humpback—A finback mother and calf 158

CHAPTER XIV

SHIPS ATTACKED BY WHALES

Sinking the _Sorenson_—Whales attacking ships—Habits of blue and
finback whales—Killing a finback off the Shetland
coast—Wanderings of whales 175

CHAPTER XV

REDISCOVERING A SUPPOSEDLY EXTINCT WHALE

Whales on the Pacific Coast—The devilfish of Korea—Living in
Korea—Theft of bones—My first gray whale 186

CHAPTER XVI

HOW KILLERS TEAR OUT A GRAY WHALE’S TONGUE

Stampeding a herd of gray whales—Cleverness in avoiding
capture—Migrations 197

CHAPTER XVII

SOME HABITS OF THE GRAY WHALE

What gray whales eat—Affection—Diseases—Parasites—Hair 207

CHAPTER XVIII

THE WOLF OF THE SEA

Captain Scott’s experience with killers—Killers in the
Antarctic—The swordfish and thresher 215

CHAPTER XIX

A STRANGE GIANT OF THE OCEAN

The giant sperm
whale—Spermaceti—Ambergris—Teeth—Scrimshawing—Food—Size—Blowing
and Diving—Sperms off the Japan coast—Ferocity—Length of life in
whales 224

CHAPTER XX

A DEEP-SEA SPERM WHALE HUNT

Old-time whaling—Killing with a hand lance—“Diary of a Whaling
Cruise,” by Mr. Slocum 238

CHAPTER XXI

THE RIGHT WHALE AND BOWHEAD

The beginning of whaling—The right whale and bowhead—Valuable
whalebone—Right whales killed with the harpoon-gun—How bowheads
are hunted—The Eskimo whalers—A right whale captured at
Amagansett, Long Island 245

CHAPTER XXII

THE BOTTLENOSE WHALE AND HOW IT IS HUNTED

Hunting the bottlenose whale—Habits of the
bottlenose—Peculiarities of the ziphioid whales—Teeth of
Layard’s and Gray’s whales—Skulls—Existing ziphioid whales the
last survivors of an ancient race 258

CHAPTER XXIII

HUNTING WHITE WHALES IN THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER

Porpoises and dolphins—Hunting white whales in the St. Lawrence
River 267

CHAPTER XXIV

THE BOTTLENOSE PORPOISE IN CAPTIVITY

A bottlenose porpoise fishery at Cape Hatteras—“The Porpoise in
Captivity,” by Dr. Charles H. Townsend 278

CHAPTER XXV

THE BLACKFISH

An exciting blackfish hunt in the Faroe Islands—Habits 291

CHAPTER XXVI

THE PASSING OF THE WHALE

The commercial extermination of the right whale—Capture of the
bowhead—“Whaling in Newfoundland,” by Dr. F. A. Lucas—The
American Pacific coast—Sub-Antarctic whaling—Japan—Needed
legislation 296