Now, though such great bodies are at times encountered, yet, as must
have been seen, even at the present day, small detached bands are
occasionally observed, embracing from twenty to fifty individuals each.
Such bands are known as schools. They generally are of two sorts;
those composed almost entirely of females, and those mustering none
but young vigorous males, or bulls as they are familiarly designated.
In cavalier attendance upon the school of females, you invariably see
a male of full grown magnitude, but not old; who, upon any alarm,
evinces his gallantry by falling in the rear and covering the flight
of his ladies. In truth, this gentleman is a luxurious Ottoman,
swimming about over the watery world, surroundingly accompanied by all
the solaces and endearments of the harem. The contrast between this
Ottoman and his concubines is striking; because, while he is always
of the largest leviathanic proportions, the ladies, even at full growth,
are not more than one-third of the bulk of an average-sized male.
They are comparatively delicate, indeed; I dare say, not to exceed half
a dozen yards round the waist. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied,
that upon the whole they are hereditarily entitled to en bon point.
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