he
sperm-whale. But the constant persecution to which these animals are
subjected causes a frequent change in their habitats. They have been
nearly exterminated, or rendered so scarce as not to be worth following,
in many districts where they formerly most abounded, and in order to
make the trade remunerative, new grounds have to be continually sought.
Maury's "whale charts" give much valuable information on this subject.

WHALER. A name for a vessel employed in the whale-fisheries.

WHALE'S FOOD. The name given in the North Sea to the _Clio borealis_, a
well-known mollusk, on which whales feed.

WHANGERS, OR COD-WHANGERS. Fish-curers of Newfoundland. An old term for
a large sword.

WHAPPER. The largest of the turtle kind, attaining 7 or 8 cwts., off
Ascension. [The name is supposed to be derived from _guapa_, Sp., grand
or fine.] (_See_ LOGGERHEAD.)

WHARF, OR QUAY. An erection of wood or stone raised on the shore of a
road or harbour for the convenience of loading or discharging vessels by
cranes or other means. A wharf is of course built stronger or slighter
in proportion to the effort of the tide or sea which it is intended to
resist, and the size of vessels using it.--_Wharf_, in hydrography, is a
scar, a rocky or gravelly concretion, or frequently a sand-bank, as Mad
Wharf in Lancashire, where the tides throw up dangerous ripples and
overfalls.

WHARFAGE DUES. The dues for landing or shipping goods at a wharf;
customs charges in particular. Thus for goods not liable to duty, and
forcibly taken for examination, wharfage charges are demanded even from
a ship of war!

WHARFINGER. He who owns or keeps a wharf and takes account of all the
articles landed thereon or removed from it, for which he receives a
certain fee.

WHARF-STEAD. A ford in a river.

WHAT CHEER, HO? Equivalent among seamen to, _How fare ye?_

WHAT SHIP IS THAT? A question often put when a _jaw-breaking_ word has
been intrusively uttered by _savants_.

WHAT WATER HAVE YOU? The question to the man sounding, as to the depth
of water which the lead-line gives.

WHAUP. The larger curlew, _Numenius arquatus_.

WHEAT. An excellent article for sea-diet; boiled with a proportion of
molasses, it makes a most nutritious breakfast. As it stows well, and
would even yield nearly the same weight in bread, it should be made an
article of allowance.

WHEEL. A general name for the helm, by which the tiller and rudder are
worked in steering the ship;