le feeding in this way! Inside the great mouth the
_Remora_? or Sucking Fish, is often found. This fish has an oval sucker
on its head, by which it fixes itself to Whales, or even to the hull of
a ship. It has fins, and can swim perfectly well, but prefers to live in
this lazy way.

The Whalebone Whales lead a peaceful, happy life, though not without
dangers. The bitter cold of their northern home is nothing to them, for
are they not snug in a deep blanket of blubber? To obtain food, they
merely swim along with open mouth. These peaceful giants do not know how
to fight for their lives, like the Sperm Whales. So, when man came,
hunting the Greenland Whale for oil and "whalebone," he found an easy
victim.

They have other enemies, besides man. The Killer Whale is one of the
fiercest, swiftest terrors of the sea. It is tiny, compared with the
Greenland Whale, but much quicker and more cunning. Several Killers band
together and spring to the attack at the same time, Like wild cats, they
dash at the poor helpless Whale, and tear its sides with terrible curved
teeth.

The Sword-fish and Thresher Shark also help to destroy this harmless
giant of the deep. The Sword-fish pierces it with his pointed "beak";
the other slashes the sides of the wretched Whale with its long tail. It
is said, by those who have seen such a fight, that the Thresher's tail
cuts deep into the Whale's sides.

[Illustration: THE SUCKING FISH]

In all parts of the wide sea there are Whales of one kind or another. We
have looked briefly at the Sperm and Greenland Whales, and the Killer
Whale. Besides these there is the Narwhal, or Sea-unicorn, with a
wonderful tusk, which is really a big tooth, some six feet long. Another
one, the Bottle-nose Whale, has a long, narrow "beak," and is sometimes
washed up on our shores. The Pilot Whale is also seen in herds in our
seas.

Another visitor, the Rorqual, is not welcomed by the fishermen. This big
fellow follows the shoals of Mackerel and Herring. He lives on them,
swallowing as many at each gulp as would fill several big baskets. The
fishermen can spare him the fish. But it is another matter when he swims
through valuable nets, tearing through them as if they were so much
cobweb.

The commonest Whale of our seas is that small one, the Common Dolphin,
who is a midget some five or six feet long. You may have seen Dolphins,
for they swim near the surface, and may often be noticed not far from
the shore. Like