| 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] |
| | |
| | |
| APPENDIX |
| | |
| Classification of the Cetacea—Diagnoses of the whales described in this book—The skeleton of the Cetacea—Adaptation as shown by the Cetacea | [307] |
| | |
| | |
| Index | [323] |