第八十八章 Schools and Schoolmasters.
Sperm whales organize into two distinct types of schools: harems of females attended by a dominant male, and bands of young vigorous males called forty-barrel-bulls. The harem male, termed the schoolmaster, guards his females jealously, attacking any presumptuous young Leviathan who approaches too closely, yet despite his vigilance he cannot prevent rival admirers from challenging him, leading to fierce battles that leave survivors scarred with furrowed heads, broken teeth, and damaged fins. The text elaborates on the schoolmaster’s eventual fate, describing how as years advance and passions wane, this “Grand Turk” forsakes his harem, becomes solitary, and drifts alone among the seas like a penitent old Daniel Boone wedded to Nature herself. When whalers strike a member of a harem school, the others linger protectively around their wounded companion, often becoming prey themselves, whereas the young male schools immediately abandon any member who is struck—a stark contrast that underscores the different characters of the sexes.
Introduction to Whale Schools
Although immense bodies of sperm whales are occasionally encountered, small detached bands of twenty to fifty individuals are also observed. These bands are known as schools.
Two Sorts of Schools
Schools generally come in two varieties: those composed almost entirely of females, and those containing only young vigorous males or bulls.
The Harem and Its Lord
A male of full-grown but not old proportions accompanies female schools in a manner resembling a luxurious Ottoman. While the lord of the harem reaches the largest leviathanic proportions, the females at full growth are only about one-third the bulk of an average-sized male, with waists not exceeding half a dozen yards.
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