The Marine Mammals Of The Northwestern Coast Of North America: Together With An Account Of The American Whale Fishery

by Charles Melville Scammon

Cultural Writing. History. This volume—reprinted with a new forward by whale expert Dick Russell—has long been a highly regarded classic of natural history writing. At the time of the book's original publication, the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE reported "no more devoted investigator of the whale and its habits ever existed than Captain Scammon." As the captain of a whaling ship, Scammon closely observed and made detailed measurements of the animals he was tracking. Despite the lack of sophisticated tools, Scammon's was able to gather vital information, much of which has been confirmed by contemporary science. Scammons's Lagoon in Baja California is named after the captain in honor of his discovery of the favorite calving spot for gray whales.