Butuponinvestigationwefind,thatnotonlyarethewhalesofthepresentdaysuperiorinmagnitudetothosewhosefossilremainsarefoundintheTertiarysystem(embracingadistinctgeologicalperiodpriortoman),butofthewhalesfoundinthatTertiarysystem,thosebelongingtoitslatterformationsexceedinsizethoseofitsearlierones.
Ofallthepre-adamitewhaleyetexhumed,byfarthelargestistheAlabamaonementionedinthelastchapter,andthatwaslessthanseventyfeetinlengthintheskeleton.
Whereas,wehavealreadyseen,thatthetape-measuregivesseventy-twofeetfortheskeletonofalargesizedmodernwhale.
AndIhaveheard,onwhalemen’sauthority,thatSpermWhaleshavebeencapturednearahundredfeetlongatthetimeofcapture.
Butmayitnotbe,thatwhilethewhalesofthepresenthourareanadvanceinmagnitudeuponthoseofallpreviousgeologicalperiods;mayitnotbe,thatsinceAdam’stimetheyhavedegenerated?
Assuredly,wemustconcludeso,ifwearetocredittheaccountsofsuchgentlemenasPliny,andtheancientnaturalistsgenerally.
ForPlinytellsusofWhalesthatembracedacresoflivingbulk,andAldrovandusofotherswhichmeasuredeighthundredfeetinlength-RopeWalksandThamesTunnelsofWhales!
AndeveninthedaysofBanksandSolander,Cooke’snaturalists,wefindaDanishmemberoftheAcademyofSciencessettingdowncertainIcelandWhales(reydan-siskur,orWrinkledBellies)atonehundredandtwentyyards;thatis,threehundredandsixtyfeet.
AndLacepede,theFrenchnaturalist,inhiselaboratehistoryofwhales,intheverybeginningofhiswork(page3),setsdowntheRightWhaleatonehundredmetres,threehundredandtwenty-eightfeet.
BecauseIcannotunderstandhowitis,thatwhiletheEgyptianmummiesthatwereburiedthousandsofyearsbeforeevenPlinywasborn,donotmeasuresomuchintheircoffinsasamodernKentuckianinhissocks;andwhilethecattleandotheranimalssculpturedontheoldestEgyptianandNinevehtablets,bytherelativeproportionsinwhichtheyaredrawn,justasplainlyprovethatthehigh-bred,stall-fed,prizecattleofSmithfield,notonlyequal,butfarexceedinmagnitudethefattestofPharaoh’sfatkine;inthefaceofallthis,Iwillnotadmitthatofallanimalsthewhalealoneshouldhavedegenerated.
Whetherowingtothealmostomniscientlook-outsatthemast-headsofthewhaleships,nowpenetratingeventhroughBehring’sstraits,andintotheremotestsecretdrawersandlockersoftheworld;andthethousandharpoonsandlancesdartedalongallcontinentalcoasts;themootpointis,whetherLeviathancanlongenduresowideachase,andsoremorselessahavoc;whetherhemustnotatlastbeexterminatedfromthewaters,andthelastwhale,likethelastman,smokehislastpipe,andthenhimselfevaporateinthefinalpuff.
Comparingthehumpedherdsofwhaleswiththehumpedherdsofbuffalo,which,notfortyyearsago,overspreadbytensofthousandstheprairiesofIllinoisandMissouri,andshooktheirironmanesandscowledwiththeirthunder-clottedbrowsuponthesitesofpopulousriver-capitals,wherenowthepolitebrokersellsyoulandatadollaraninch;insuchacomparisonanirresistibleargumentwouldseemfurnished,toshowthatthehuntedwhalecannotnowescapespeedyextinction.
Thoughsoshortaperiodago-notagoodlifetime-thecensusofthebuffaloinIllinoisexceededthecensusofmennowinLondon,andthoughatthepresentdaynotonehornorhoofofthemremainsinallthatregion;andthoughthecauseofthiswondrousexterminationwasthespearofman;yetthefardifferentnatureofthewhale-huntperemptorilyforbidssoingloriousanendtotheLeviathan.
FortymeninoneshiphuntingtheSpermWhalesforforty-eightmonthsthinktheyhavedoneextremelywell,andthankGod,ifatlasttheycarryhometheoiloffortyfish.
Whereas,inthedaysoftheoldCanadianandIndianhuntersandtrappersoftheWest,whenthefarwest(inwhosesunsetsunsstillrise)wasawildernessandavirgin,thesamenumberofmoccasinedmen,forthesamenumberofmonths,mountedonhorseinsteadofsailinginships,wouldhaveslainnotforty,butfortythousandandmorebuffaloes;afactthat,ifneedwere,couldbestatisticallystated.
Nor,consideredaright,doesitseemanyargumentinfavorofthegradualextinctionoftheSpermWhale,forexample,thatinformeryears(thelatterpartofthelastcentury,say)theseLeviathans,insmallpods,wereencounteredmuchoftenerthanatpresent,and,inconsequence,thevoyageswerenotsoprolonged,andwerealsomuchmoreremunerative.
Because,ashasbeenelsewherenoticed,thosewhales,influencedbysomeviewstosafety,nowswimtheseasinimmensecaravans,sothattoalargedegreethescatteredsolitaries,yokes,andpods,andschoolsofotherdaysarenowaggregatedintovastbutwidelyseparated,unfrequentarmies.Thatisall.
Andequallyfallaciousseemstheconceit,thatbecausetheso-calledwhale-bonewhalesnolongerhauntmanygroundsinformeryearsaboundingwiththem,hencethatspeciesalsoisdeclining.
Fortheyareonlybeingdrivenfrompromontorytocape;andifonecoastisnolongerenlivenedwiththeirjets,then,besure,someotherandremoterstrandhasbeenveryrecentlystartledbytheunfamiliarspectacle.
Furthermore:concerningtheselastmentionedLeviathans,theyhavetwofirmfortresses,which,inallhumanprobability,willforeverremainimpregnable.
Andasupontheinvasionoftheirvalleys,thefrostySwisshaveretreatedtotheirmountains;so,huntedfromthesavannasandgladesofthemiddleseas,thewhale-bonewhalescanatlastresorttotheirPolarcitadels,anddivingundertheultimateglassybarriersandwallsthere,comeupamongicyfieldsandfloes!
Butasperhapsfiftyofthesewhale-bonewhalesareharpoonedforonecachalot,somephilosophersoftheforecastlehaveconcludedthatthispositivehavochasalreadyveryseriouslydiminishedtheirbattalions.
Butthoughforsometimepastanumberofthesewhales,notlessthan13,000,havebeenannuallyslainonthenor’westcoastbytheAmericansalone;yetthereareconsiderationswhichrendereventhiscircumstanceoflittleornoaccountasanopposingargumentinthismatter.
Naturalasitistobesomewhatincredulousconcerningthepopulousnessofthemoreenormouscreaturesoftheglobe,yetwhatshallwesaytoHarto,thehistorianofGoa,whenhetellsusthatatonehuntingtheKingofSiamtook4,000elephants;thatinthoseregionselephantsarenumerousasdrovesofcattleinthetemperateclimes.
Andthereseemsnoreasontodoubtthatiftheseelephants,whichhavenowbeenhuntedforthousandsofyears,bySemiramis,byPorus,byHannibal,andbyallthesuccessivemonarchsoftheEast-iftheystillsurvivethereingreatnumbers,muchmoremaythegreatwhaleoutlastallhunting,sincehehasapasturetoexpatiatein,whichispreciselytwiceaslargeasallAsia,bothAmericas,EuropeandAfrica,NewHolland,andalltheIslesoftheseacombined.
Moreover:wearetoconsider,thatfromthepresumedgreatlongevityofwhales,theirprobablyattainingtheageofacenturyandmore,thereforeatanyoneperiodoftime,severaldistinctadultgenerationsmustbecontemporary.
Andwhatthisis,wemaysoongainsomeideaof,byimaginingallthegrave-yards,cemeteries,andfamilyvaultsofcreationyieldingupthelivebodiesofallthemen,women,andchildrenwhowerealiveseventy-fiveyearsago;andaddingthiscountlesshosttothepresenthumanpopulationoftheglobe.
Wherefore,forallthesethings,weaccountthewhaleimmortalinhisspecies,howeverperishableinhisindividuality.
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