Моби Дик

Does the Whale’s Magnitude Diminish? — Will He Perish?

           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.

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