25 JANUARY 1913, Page 32

THE WHALE'S BELLOW.

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."-J Sin,—Please permit me to say, in reference to your corre- spondent's letter (" B. M. B.," January 18th) that your reviewer's comment is absolutely right. I do not know who the gentleman is, but when he says that no one ever heard a whale bellow he is obviously right, because no whale possesses vocal organs. " B. M. B." says that a whale close in-shore when struck emitted a series of deep bellows or roars. He does not say he heard it. I have seen many whales die, and have often heard a kind of strangulated groan, not loud, as the air from the spiracle struggled with clotted blood in the narrow breathing tube. But the sound was what you might expect, and not in the least like either a roar or a bellow.—I