Every one knows the story of Jonah; how he was thrown overboard to
appease the gods, and how a “big fish” swallowed him and carried him
ashore. It will always be a mooted question whether or not the big
fish was a whale. If it were a whale, it is doubtful whether Jonah got
any further than its mouth, on account of the smallness of a whale’s
throat. It may be well to explain that a whale does not belong to the
fish family, but is a mammal, and therefore, perhaps, this great fish
mentioned wasn’t a whale.
This “fishing on a gigantic scale,” as it has been often termed, is
of very ancient origin and dates back to 890 A.D., when a Norwegian,
called Octhere, skirted the coast of Norway for whales.
The Biscayans, who in the twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and
fifteenth centuries became famous on account of their whale fishery,
were the first people to prosecute this industry as a regular
commercial pursuit. In this connection the French are also mentioned
about 1261, using the whale for food. Also the Icelanders are
believed to have whaled some time during the twelfth century. The first
reference to English whaling appears during the fourteenth century, and
by statutory law the whale was declared “a royal fish.” Another curious
law was that the King, as Honorary Harpooner, received the head, and
the Queen the tail of all whales captured along the English coast,
which is very much like halving an apple, there is so little left.
[Illustration: From an old English print.]
[Illustration: A rare old English print of the Eighteenth Century.]
[Illustration: A “cachalot” on the seacoast of Holland. People have
always shown intense interest in drift whales.]
[Illustration: Whale-hunting in Westmannshaven Bay, Norway.