File:The marine mammals of the north-western coast of North America, described and illustrated; together with an account of the American whale-fishery (1874) (14784811305).jpg

Identifier: marinemammalsofn00scam (find matches)
Title: The marine mammals of the north-western coast of North America, described and illustrated; together with an account of the American whale-fishery
Year: 1874 (1870s)
Authors: Scammon, Charles Melville, 1825-1911
Subjects: Marine mammals Cetacea Sealing Whaling Whales Dolphins
Publisher: San Francisco, J.H. Carmany New York, Putnam
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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currents, making it difficult tosee an object at any considerable depth. When a whale is struck at sea, thereis generally but little difficulty in keeping clear. When first irritated by the har-poon, it attempts to escape by running, or descending to the depths below, takingout more or less line, the direction of which, and the movements of the boat,indicate the animals whereabouts. But in a lagoon, the object of pursuit is innarrow passages, where frequently there is a swift tide, and the turbid water pre-vents the whaler from seeing far beneath the boat. Should the chase be madewith the current, the fugitive sometimes stops suddenly, and the speed of the boat,together with the influence of the running water, shoots it upon the worried animalwhen it is dashing its flukes in every direction. The whales that are chased havewith them their young cubs, and the mother, in her efforts to avoid the pursuit ofherself and offspring, may momentarily lose sight of her little one. Instantly she
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TEE CALIFORNIA GRAY WEALE. 29 will stop and sweep; around in search, and if the boatxjomes in contact with her,it is quite sure to be staved. Another danger is, that in darting the lance at themother, the young one, in its gambols, will get in the way of the weapon, andreceive the wound, instead of the intended victim. In such instances, the parentanimal, in her frenzy, will chase the boats, and, overtaking them, will overturnthem with her head, or dash them in pieces with a stroke of her ponderous flukes. Sometimes the calf is fastened to instead of the cow. In such instances themother may have been an old frequenter of the ground, and been before chased,and perhaps have suffered from a previous attack, so that she is far more difficultto capture, staving the boats and escaping after receiving repeated wounds. Oneinstance occurred in Magdalena Lagoon, in 1857, where, after several boats hadbeen staved, they being near the beach, the men in those remaining afloat managedto pick up the

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