Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!iuvax!uxc!tank!ysidro!chappell
From: chappell@ysidro.uchicago.edu (Chappell)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Request for info on whales
Message-ID: <3804@tank.uchicago.edu>
Date: 13 Jun 89 16:27:49 GMT
References: <123@opmvax.csc.fi>
Sender: news@tank.uchicago.edu
Reply-To: chappell@ysidro.UUCP (Chappell)
Organization: U. Chicago Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 27

In article <123@opmvax.csc.fi> siili@opmvax.csc.fi (Tero Siili, Finnish meteorological institute / GEO) writes:
>Request for information & references:
>
>I would be interested in obtaining information of the various species of
>whales (most of all dolphins, the orca and the humpback whale) but being

>My interest is not related to professional or scientific activities. I simply
>want to learn more and more first-hand information, than the TV-documentaries

>Tero Siili
>Finnish Meteorological Institute, Dep. of Geophysics
>siili@csc.fi

Moby Dick, by Melville.  I am serious; this is not only a literary
monument, but quite informative on whales.  Melville becomes something
of a taxonomist in one chapter (relatively early in the book), where he
divides the whales into `folio' (the biggest printer's size, where one
sheet is folded once to make to leaves), such as the sperm whale, down
to `quarto' (folded twice), etc.  The rest of the book is full of that
combination of sympathy and possessive gluttony which I have only seen
in a true naturalist/hunter.  It reminds me of Aldo Leopold at his
best.

                                         Enjoy.

Rick Chappell
Dept. of Statistics, University of Chicago