He took no notice
of us, but passed slowly on, and dived a few yards beyond us, throwing
his tail high in the air. He was so near that we had a perfect view of
him and as may be supposed, had no desire to see him nearer. He was
a disgusting creature; with a skin rough, hairy, and of an iron-grey
color. This kind differs much from the sperm, in color and skin, and
is said to be fiercer. We saw a few sperm whales; but most of the
whales that come upon the coast are fin-backs, hump -backs, and
right whales, which are more difficult to take, and are said not to
give oil enough to pay for the trouble. For this reason whale-ships do
not come upon the coast after them. Our captain, together with Captain
Nye of the Loriotte, who had been in a whale-ship, thought of making
an attempt upon one of them with two boats' crews, but as we had
only two harpoons and no proper lines, they gave it up.
During the months of March, April, and May, these whales appear in
great numbers in the open ports of Santa Barbara, San Pedro, etc., and
hover off the coast, while a few find their way into the close harbors
of San Diego and Monterey.
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