Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Sidor ...
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has been proofread at least once.
(diff)
(history)
Denna sida har korrekturlästs minst en gång.
(skillnad)
(historik)
advantage of bringing the whales ashore, and
utilizing the whole mass, considerably diminishes the
prime cost of the oil and whalebone. Whales are
more numerous hereabouts than I supposed. About
a dozen large whales have passed within catching
distance of the steampackets in which I have
journeyed during the last month, and small whales
are much more abundant in the fjords, where the
Norwegians will not allow them to be disturbed,
as they are supposed to drive the herrings inwards
and prevent their too speedy return to the sea.
There appears to be good foundation for this belief,
and this restriction of the whale fishery may
preserve the young whales from the ruinous
extermination that otherwise would occur.
“The outer film of the skin of the whale is not
yet utilized. It separates very easily. We stripped
off considerable sheets of it from the back of the
floating carcass. It is about as thin as Bank of
England note paper, nearly transparent,
waterproof, strong, and inoffensive. The whale from
which we stripped our samples was estimated to be
about twelve years old. The skin from younger
whales is better. A sample I have seen from a
three-year-old is wonderfully strong, and may be
useful for surgical bandages, &c.”
The engraving represents a portion of the slab
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
