2--RIGHT WHALE. This is the whale of the early history of the industry--docile and easy to take--whose only means of defence lay in its great tail or “flukes.” This and the Bowhead were known as “Baleen” or whalebone whales. They feed on the surface--their food being small crustacea or “brit,” which they scoop up with open mouth and strain through the rows of baleen which hang from the upper jaw. 3--BOWHEAD WHALE. The Arctic or Greenland whale. Living in the cold waters of the high latitudes the blubber of this species is much thicker than that of Sperm or Right, one Bowhead rendering as much as three hundred barrels. The quality of its oil, however, is much inferior to sperm oil, and for years it was hunted for its whalebone alone. [Illustration] _WHALES_ 4--FINBACK WHALE. This and the Sulphurbottom are much longer than the Sperm, Right, and Bowhead--but were ignored because of the fact that they sank when killed, and because of their rapidity of movement, claimed by some to be as much as fifty miles an hour. Modern whalers have met these difficulties by employing fast motor boats and by inflating the dead whale with compressed air. 5--SULPHURBOTTOM--or BLUE WHALE. The longest of the whale family. Some specimens have been taken exceeding one hundred feet in length. 6--HUMPBACK WHALE. This whale is one of the “bone” species, but its baleen was too short to be of commercial value. It sank when killed, but as it was almost always found in shoal water gases due to decomposition brought it to the surface in a short time. [Illustration] _THE MASTHEAD_ From the day of sailing until the home port was reached at the end of a long voyage, lookouts were always kept at the fore and mainmastheads. Even with his ship “full to the eyebrows” the whaling skipper could not resist the taking of one more whale, until every possible container, large and small, was full to running over. The call of the lookout was a sort of wail, running through a scale of five or six notes, each man putting in his own curlicues according to the quality of his voice. He would sustain the call as long as the blow lasted: “A blow!--A blo-o-o-o-ow! A blow. A blow!!” “Where away?” from the skipper. “Two miles--weather beam--Blo-o-o-ow! Blo-o-o-o-! There she breaches--A blo-o-o-ow! A blow!--A blow!” [Illustration] _LOWERING_ The boats were kept ready for instant lowering. The tubs were first put aboard and a man took his station at each of the “falls” or davit tackles, one man remaining in the boat to fend her off the side of the ship. “Lower away!” Down went the boats, the crew following the best way they could, sliding down the falls or scrambling down the side. The hooks were cast off, mast stepped, sail hoisted, and the race for the whale began. [Illustration] _A RACE UNDER SAIL_ When the wind was favourable the approach was made under sail.