With this great tail of his—for it is in proportion to his own size, and sometimes eighteen feet from point to point—the cachalot, like other whales, can deliver the most tremendous blows, curving it at first, as does the crocodile, away from the object of its animosity, and then causing it to leap back with an impetus in which the natural force of the recoil is increased a hundredfold by the hearty goodwill which the creature, whose strength is enormous, puts into it. These dreadful blows are dealt with great sureness of aim, and, considering the size of the instrument inflicting them, with wonderful rapidity. Beneath their flail-like vigour and fury the sea foams and spouts, the air is rent by a succession of thundering roars, like the sound of artillery, whilst about the mighty causer of all this vast commotion, the waters heave mountainous, the white waves break, the spray leaps, hisses, and flies till, huge and rock-like as the mass is that forms the centre of the area of disturbance, it is almost lost amidst the turmoil that its own energies have raised. Such scenes may be witnessed when two bull sperm-whales contend for the favours of one or more females, for, in opposition to the general rule prevailing amongst the cetaceans, these huge creatures are polygamous, each full-grown male collecting together a harem, with which he roams the deep, and which is of greater or lesser extent, in proportion either to his prowess as a fighter, or his personal attractions. It is not with the tail only, however, that these battles are maintained. The cachalot belongs to the toothed order of whales, and his lower jaw, which is extraordinarily thin and slight, in comparison with the upper one and huge snout above it, is furnished with some fifty thick, curved, and bluntly pointed fangs, each one of which fits into a corresponding socket of the upper jaw, which latter, contrary to what one might expect, is toothless. These teeth, in old males, attain a weight of from two to four pounds apiece, and being composed entirely of ivory, form handsome as well as curious objects, upon which sailors are fond of exercising their skill in carving. They are to be seen, sometimes, upon the cottage mantelshelves of retired old salts, or on those belonging to the parents of younger ones, having been brought home to them from one of their son’s trips. Thus furnished, the jaws of the cachalot are a formidable weapon, even when used against each other, nor does the absence of teeth from the upper one seem much to diminish their effectiveness. For some reason, however, possibly because it is easier, or more effective, to bring the teeth down than to strike them up, the sperm-whale, before he makes a bite, is accustomed to turn on his back, as does a shark, and in this position he has often been known to crush a whaling-boat with, incidentally, a man or two that was in it, between his jaws. With what effect, therefore, they can be used against the softer substance of any