Smooth whales. Southern smooth whale. Where do they live

Northern smooth whale.Based mainly on geographical isolation, but in the absence of sharp morphological differences, the species is divided into three subspecies: the Biscay northern smooth whale (Eubalaena glacialis gracialis Muller, 1776) - an inhabitant of the North Atlantic; Japanese northern whale (E. g. japonica Lacepede, 1818), lives in the northern half of the Pacific Ocean; the Australian smooth whale (E. g. australis Desmoulins, 1822) inhabits the waters of the southern hemisphere.

general characteristics... Typically, the body length of adult (sexually mature) North Atlantic females is 13.4-17.0 m, and that of males is 13.1-16 m. However, in the Far East, whales of 18.3 m were often observed, and in exceptional cases, females up to 21.3 m. m and males up to 19.2 m (the last two figures may have been obtained when measuring animals on the side of the body). The total weight is from 50 to 100 tons.

The body of the northern smooth whale is short, maximally thick between the navel and the pectoral fin, sharply narrowed towards the end of the tail; caudal peduncle laterally compressed. In the neck area (in front of the pectoral fins), a small cervical intercept. The head relatively increases with age from 25 to 31%. The upper jaw is curved in an arc in the sagittal plane; in the posterior half of the jaw the bend is much steeper than in the anterior. The complexly curved oral slit, repeating the bend of the upper jaw, descends steeply downward in the posterior part, but near the corner of the mouth under the eye it sharply turns back and goes slightly behind the eye. On the upper edge of the lower fleshy lips there are scalloped outgrowths (rounded teeth). Two slightly curved slits of the blowhole are located on the crown of the head, in a depression just in front of the section through the eyes. On the head between the spihal and the anterior end of the snout (closer to the latter) there is a horny growth; its length varies from 2.5 to 7.6% and width from 1.3 to 3.1% of body length.


A mass of whale lice usually settle on the uneven surface of the growth ("cap"). The functional significance of the build-up has not been clarified. Horny tubercles and bumps in the form of warts develop on the chin, lower jaws (more than 10) and on top of the snout (behind and on the sides of the growth up to 15-20 pieces). On the chin, in the region of the mandibular symphysis, there are two rows of numerous (in adults 150-180, in embryos 110) hairs 0.5-1 cm long; in addition, 40-50 hairs on the snout in front of the growth. Longer and coarser hairs (2.5 cm) one by one also sit on the horny bumps. The pectoral fins are large, wide, 13.4–19.6% long from apex to the anterior end of their lower margin and 6.5–10.8% wide; their apex is somewhat pointed; attached low, noticeably below eye level. The caudal lobes are very wide, their width from corner to corner is 33–41.5% of the zoological length.

The skull is less curved sagittally and the rostrum is narrower than that of the bowhead whale. Wide nasal bones of a roughly quadrangular shape, slightly notched at the anterior end, sometimes slightly narrower anteriorly than posteriorly. The intermaxillary bones are wide, occupying most of the upper surface of the rostrum. In the skull of adult smooth whales, the lateral parts of the occipital region do not extend back beyond the occipital condyles. The occipital bone is wide, with convex sides. The zygomatic process of the maxillary bone and the orbital process of the frontal bone are located transversely to the axis of the skull in adults and directed backward in young animals.

In the filtering apparatus in each right and left, widely separated from one another by a row from 210 to 260 whiskers. The height of the plates in immature individuals is only 1-1.1 m with a width at the base of 12.7-14.2 cm, and in adult Japanese individuals the maximum is up to 2.5-2.6 m with a width at the base of about 11-20 cm. The plates are less flexible and split into longitudinal splinters worse than the bowhead whale. The color of the plates and fringes is black (in young ones, grayish or bluish-black), but occasionally the front whiskers are wholly or partially white or with longitudinal light stripes. The thickness of the fringes in the middle of their length is about 0.13 mm, and the number of fringes in 1 cm of the row along the fringed edge of the plate varies from 45 to 55.

There is no dorsal fin. Wide pectoral fins have pointed tips at a rounded apex. The subcutaneous fat layer is very thick, up to 50 cm thick. The hump on the back is located at the beginning of the posterior third, and the navel is slightly in front of the middle of the body.

Body colorationblack or dark bluish, slightly lighter below, but often the belly with white spots of various sizes, and sometimes entirely white (in this case, the dark and light colors are sharply demarcated, without transition tones). White-bellied animals are found 5-10 times less often than dark-bellied and gray-bellied animals. The area of \u200b\u200blight color in white-bellied individuals is usually widened at the throat, narrowed behind the pectoral fins and expanded again in the navel. There is no correlation of white coloration with age or gender. Sometimes white spots are localized on the tail lobes and on the sides of the body. The pectoral fins are usually black, occasionally with light specks at the edges. Large bright white markings on the dark background of the body represent signs of skin damage. The color of newborns is light gray, later darkens.

Distribution and migration... The range includes three main regions: the North Atlantic (subspecies Biscay t Eubalaena glacialis), North Pacific (Japanese whale - E. g. sieboldi) and antiboreal (Australian whale - E. g. aastralis; is absent in our waters). The Japanese whale differs from the Biscay and Australian whales in the greater body length and height of the whalebone, and the Australian whale differs from both in the shift of biological rhythms in time according to the seasons in the southern hemisphere.

The Biscay smooth whale lives in the temperate waters of the North Atlantic - from the shores of northwestern Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, Madeira Islands, the Azores, Bermuda and Florida north to the Spitsbergen archipelago, the Kola Peninsula, Jan Mayen Island, Iceland, about -in Newfoundland and Davis Strait. It is absent in the tropical region and at high latitudes.

The Japanese smooth whale inhabits the waters of the Pacific Ocean from Alaska and the Aleutian Ridge to the states of Oregon and California and from Anadyr Bay. The Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk and the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan to the Yellow and East China Seas. The ranges of the pagophilous Greyland whale and the ice-avoiding southern whale do not coincide, but only border or overlap a little. that the southern border of the first species is adjacent to the northern border of the second. In the past, the largest concentration of the Japanese whale in our waters was considered in the areas of the Shantarsky Islands, Olsko-Tauisky Bay, Penzhinsky Bay and Kambalnaya Bay in the summer-autumn half of the year. In winter, Japanese whales descend to almost 20-25 ° N. ch., and in the summer they migrate to the northern waters. Animals were observed off the coast of Taiwan and the Bonin Islands in February, off Honshu Island in March-April, off Hokkaido in April-May, in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, off the coast of Kamchatka, the Kuril and Aleutian Islands - in all summer months, as well as in September and October.

The northern right whale has regular seasonal migrations. Not only each subspecies, but also individual populations migrate along their own paths and at different times. In the scheme, they move from wintering sites from warm areas of the range in spring to temperate and cold waters for summer and in autumn they return to wintering and breeding sites.

Nutrition... The device of the filtering (whisker) apparatus indicates that smooth whales feed on small planktonic crustaceans. The main food of the Biscay whale is crustaceans. Calanus finmarchicus and Thysanoessa inermis, sometimes pteropods. Japanese whale food consists of small crustaceans Calanus plumchrus (= C. tonsus), C. finmarchicus, C. cristatus, Euphausia pacificaand also possibly from Calanus tenuicornus, Eucalanus bungei, Pseudocalanus elongatus, in massive numbers of Japanese whales found at feeding grounds in the Oya-Sio area, the Aleutian ridge, and the central and southern parts of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk.

When catching the southern whale with nets in Japan, the depth of its immersion was established only at 15-18 m, which is probably due to the placement of its food in the surface layer of the sea. In search of food, it occasionally enters even small straits up to 12 m deep.



Reproduction and development... It breeds, apparently, every two years in warm and temperate waters. Birth and mating in northern hemisphere right whales is likely to occur in December-February in the southern part of the range. Pregnancy lasts about a year. The size of newborns is 4-4.5 m, as an exception up to 6 m. During the period of milk feeding, which lasts 6-7 months, their length increases to 10.6 m. Young 10.6 m long feed on their own. It is assumed that puberty occurs at the age of 10 years. By this time, males have an average length of 14.5-15.5 m, females 15-16 m. By the time they stop growing (physical maturity), the body length of whales is still increasing. In large males, the penis reaches a length of 180 cm.

Lactating females usually do not leave injured cubs, and sometimes even try to attack whaling boats that have harpooned the sucker.

Behaviormore active than the bowhead whale. In summer, northern right whales usually stay alone, less often in pairs, and very rarely - 3 whales each. Only in places where food objects are concentrated can form small clusters of several tens of heads. In a calm state, southern whales swim at a speed of 7 km, and frightened ones - up to 14 km / h. At high speed, they are able to partially (up to half their length) jump out of the water, sometimes up to eight times in a row.

After 5-6 and, as an exception, 15 fountains, whales dive for 10-20 minutes, while disturbed ones dive for 30 or even 50 minutes. Fountains up to 4.5 m in height are clearly bifurcated, therefore they seem wider and thicker than those of minke whales. At intermediate dives, the tail blades are not shown, but they do this when they dive steeply down ("probe"). Often the whale dives vertically and then exposes huge blades of the tail fin from the water. Games have been observed when the animal is raised high out of the water or even almost jumps out and then falls noisily into the water.


Number... As a result of intensive fishing at the end of the last century and at the beginning of this century, the number of all subspecies has dramatically decreased. The most preserved, apparently, whales in the southern hemisphere, then in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean and to a lesser extent in the Atlantic.

Economic value... Fishing for the Biscay whale began in the 9th-10th centuries. in the Bay of Biscay. Later (XV-XVI centuries) hunting moved closer to Norway, Spitsbergen, Iceland, as well as to the waters of North America (from North Carolina to Newfoundland). In the middle of the XVI century. hunted up to 400 ships annually different countries, which undermined the stocks of these whales in the Atlantic. Already at the end of the XIX and beginning of the XX century. Scottish whalers hunted only dozens of Biscay whales, and from 1920 to 1934, Faroe Islands stations and Norwegian vessels took only six whales.

Meat and fat mixed with cloudberries were considered a delicacy among the coastal inhabitants (Aleuts, Eskimos, Indians). Bones were used to build dwellings, veins - for sewing kayaks.

At the same size as other species, northern right whales provide much more useful products and are the most economically profitable fishing objects. But due to the catastrophic state of their numbers, the catch of northern right whales is prohibited in the entire World Ocean. Now this whale has no economic value and there are no prospects for resuming the fishing in the near future.

Large smooth whales produce about 15-18 tons of fat and up to 600 kg of whiskers. Weighed in parts, a female 1165 cm long (22 866 kg) and a male 1240 cm long (22 247 kg) produced the following products (respectively in kilograms): meat 7990 and 6622, bacon 8259 and 10 030, whalebone 263 and 239, bones 3166 and 2921 (including: skull 993 and 645, lower jaw 253 and 338, ribs with sternum 368 and 487, spinal column 1109 and 935, scapula and fin 443 and 501) and viscera (without blood weight) 3188 and 2435 (in including: heart 180 and 154, lungs 204 and 163, liver 216 and 109, kidneys 68 and 24, stomach 105 and 77, intestines 381 and 279, tongue 1369 and 888, other viscera 665 and 741). Another 1165 cm female yielded 11,500 kg of fat (5200 from subcutaneous fat and 6300 from bones). The products were used in the same way as those obtained from the bowhead whale.

Literature:
1. Atlas of marine mammals of the USSR, 1980. Text by V. A. Arseniev, drawings by animal artist N. N. Kondakov
2. Professor Tomilin Avenir Grigorievich. Cetaceans of the seas of the USSR, 1961

Southern smooth whale (lat. Eubalaena australis) was one of the first among his fellows to suffer from whaling. Unfortunately, he is very slow, which, combined with curiosity, makes him an easy target even for a primitive vessel from the beginning of the last century. Towing such a whale was as easy as shelling pears, as it always stayed on the surface of the water due to its thick layer of fat.

However, already in 1935 the southern right whale came under protection as an endangered species. Since then, its population has been slowly but surely growing, reaching 7-7.5 thousand individuals by now. External appearance he is so similar to his fellow North Atlantic and Japanese whales that before all three were even attributed to the same species.

The southern right whale ranges in color from bluish black to light brown. Interestingly, sometimes white male whales are born, who are not albinos. Near the lower jaw and above the eyes, each member of the species has peculiar skin growths, which are so individual that they can even serve for identification.

The maximum body length of the southern right whale can reach 18 m with a weight of about 80 tons. It's funny, but as much as 2% of the body weight (over a ton) falls on its genitals, which are considered the largest in the entire animal world. Also, these whales have a huge head, the size of which takes up to 35% of the body length.

Southern right whales live in the Southern Ocean. Here they meet between 30 and 50 degrees south latitude. In winter they migrate to warmer waters for breeding. Most often, these whales are seen off the Cape of Good Hope, near the Valdes Peninsula in Argentina and near the city of Albany, which is in Western Australia.

They are quite curious, so they often come close to ships and boats, allowing themselves to be seen well. But they never swim into tropical waters, because a thick layer of fat (up to 36 cm on the back) interferes with effective heat exchange.

Pregnancy in females lasts about 12 months. At the same time, once every two years, a newborn whale is born, 5-6 m long and weighing from one to one and a half tons. The female tries to protect him from predators, therefore, the first time after giving birth, the mother and the baby keep in secluded coves. Lactation lasts up to six months. All this time, the baby is growing rapidly (3 cm per day).

Southern right whales feed on plankton, sucking it in along with water and filtering it through the whalebone. But they are not interested in fish at all. They are very slow animals with an average speed of 9 km / h. Frightened whales accelerate to 14 km / h. But with all this, they are able to surprise with acrobatic stunts. For example, do powerful multiple jumps or quickly dive out of the water, stopping almost vertically. Sometimes they even amaze observers with a kind of "headstand". In general, they are very playful and inquisitive.

Southern right whales live up to 40 years. They have almost no natural enemies, except that large sharks are capable of attacking young whales. Sometimes they encounter courts. But in general, the status of the species raises the least concern.

Keith Burkett, of Ohio, won the hearts of many Americans after his story of his fight against cancer was told.

The local community made sure that the terminally ill boy, nicknamed "The Brave Whale", had Christmas a couple of months earlier. They even arranged a real parade for the local hero in his hometown.



On November 9, 2018, just three days before his death, Burkett fulfilled another meaningful wish when he helped his mother, Taylor Woodard, walk down the aisle for a wedding ceremony.

A member of the Out-of-Hospital Pain Relief Program, Keith has fought cancer for six years. Feeling the inevitable approaching, he asked his mother for a special privilege on her wedding day.

“He said,“ You know, Mom, I would like to take you to the altar before I’m dead, ”Taylor recalls.“ And then I said so be it. ”

The wedding took place in Stow, Ohio (Stow, Ohio). On his Facebook page, Woodard calls November 9 "the most heartbreaking, emotional day, a day that is both happy and sad."

She writes: "My baby had to lead me through the arched passage, and we just had to fulfill his last wish."

A video available on Facebook shows Keith using a wheelchair to walk Taylor down the aisle and then stay with her mother throughout the wedding ceremony.

Best of the day

"Today, at 12:77, Keith received angel wings, and now he is in the serene heaven with the Lord," - says the American.

"Mom already misses you so much my dear. I will always be your mom. I just don’t know how mommy can live without you now. Part of me is gone forever. I promise you, baby, that I’ll try my best. I’m so hard love you..."

The first symptoms of oncology made themselves felt when Keith was only five years old. He was admitted to the hospital on Christmas Eve 2010.

In March 2012, the boy was diagnosed with undifferentiated soft tissue sarcoma. Despite several rounds of aggressive treatment, in May 2018 the cancer spread to the skull, left shoulder, lower spine, pelvis, and Burkett's liver.

Talking to a Beacon Journal reporter about Keith’s reasoning and preparing for his own death, Taylor said, “He said he didn’t want to die alone. He said he didn’t have a“ mortal experience. ”He was worried about where go after death. "

“To this I replied that we must go to the light,” added Woodard, bursting into tears.

Realizing how Keith's story will end, his family and friends focused on collecting as many memorable memories as possible. Initially, doctors gave the patient only a couple of months.

In her recent Facebook posts, Taylor talked about the unbearable horror that fills the heart of a mother forced to watch her child fade away.

"I hope Keith has shown each of you how short life can be so that you will never again take it for granted," Woodard writes. "I hope my son has proved to each of you that love always triumphs over evil."

"Hopefully Keith has demonstrated to all of you that no matter what trials you come across, you should never give up."

Keith Burkett was due to turn thirteen in December.

general description

This family includes the most massive, clumsy, and large-headed whales. The name is due to the fact that their belly and throat are smooth, devoid of grooves and stripes. The sizes are large - the body length is from 11 to 18 (less often 21) m, the weight is from 30 to 80–100 tons. The most typical body length is 13–16 m. Females of southern whales are 0.3–1 m larger than males. The head is huge, it is 1 / 4–1 / 3 of the body length. The body is thick, rounded, with a significant layer of subcutaneous fat, reaching 36 cm on the back. The cervical intercept is not pronounced. Adult bowhead whales have 2 humps on their backs, visible in profile. The caudal fin is wide, up to 40% of the body length, with pointed ends and a strong notch in the middle. The dorsal fin is absent. The pectoral fins are short and wide, oar-shaped.

Male smooth whales have probably the largest testicles among animals, weighing up to 500 kg, which, however, is less than 1% of the weight of an adult whale.

Lifestyle and numbers

The range of the family covers the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans between 20 and 60 °. Northern view Eubalaena glacialis inhabits the North Atlantic, the Japanese whale is found in the North Pacific Ocean, from Japan to Alaska, southern species Eubalaena australis - in temperate and cold waters of the Southern Hemisphere. The bowhead whale is common in the cold waters of the Northern Hemisphere, where its habitat is associated with floating ice. They are rare in the open sea; they keep off the coast and on the continental shelf.

Smooth whales swim slowly, do not submerge deeply, adhering to the surface layers of water, where large accumulations of their only food - small planktonic crustaceans (mainly calanuses, Calanus). Less often they eat small (4–5 mm) pteropods. They don't eat fish. When whales swim into an accumulation of plankton, they open their mouths and filter food out of the water using a whalebone. The plankton is then scraped off the plates with the tongue. For food, they usually dive no deeper than 15-18 m, staying under water for 10-20 minutes. The speed of a calmly swimming whale is about 7 km / h, frightened or injured - up to 14 km / h. Despite the sluggishness, smooth whales are able to perform powerful multiple jumps, rapidly emerging from the water, rise vertically above the water surface and even do a "headstand" ( Eubalaena australis). Quite playful and inquisitive, especially young individuals; can play with objects in the water.

Smooth whales keep singly or in groups of 3-4 individuals, especially in places where food is concentrated. The songs of the whales of this family are quite simple; they typically emit sounds at around 500 Hz. Migrations are rather weak. They never swim in tropical waters, as a thick layer of subcutaneous fat impairs heat transfer. The biology of reproduction has been little studied. The duration of pregnancy is about 12 months. Southern right whale cubs are born from January to April in the Northern Hemisphere; bowhead whales from March to August, most often in May. The length of a newborn smooth whale is 4.5–5.2 m. The parental instinct is highly developed. The female gives birth to 1 cub every 2 (southern whales) or 3-4 years (bowhead whale). Life expectancy is 40 years or more. The only enemies of young smooth whales are killer whales and, more rarely, large sharks.

Smooth whales were heavily exterminated even before the mechanization of whaling, since they are easy to catch: they live near the coast, near the water surface, are slow, and killed whales stay on the surface of the water due to a large amount (up to 40% of body weight) of subcutaneous fat, making it easier towing. Currently, smooth whales are few in number and have no economic value. The number of northern right whales is estimated at just 300 individuals, Japanese - 200, southern - 7500 individuals. The first two species are listed in the International Red Book as endangered species, the population of southern right whales is gradually recovering, increasing by about 7% per year. Hunting for smooth whales has been prohibited by an international convention since 1937. The catch of a small number of whales is allowed only

general description

This family includes the most massive, clumsy and large-headed whales. The name is due to the fact that their belly and throat are smooth, devoid of grooves and stripes. The sizes are large - the body length is from 11 to 18 (less often 21) m, the weight is from 30 to 80–100 tons. The most typical body length is 13–16 m. Females of southern whales are 0.3–1 m larger than males. The head is huge, it is 1 / 4–1 / 3 of the body length. The body is thick, rounded, with a significant layer of subcutaneous fat, reaching 36 cm on the back. The cervical intercept is not pronounced. Adult bowhead whales have 2 humps on their backs, visible in profile. The caudal fin is wide, up to 40% of the body length, with pointed ends and a strong notch in the middle. The dorsal fin is absent. The pectoral fins are short and wide, oar-shaped.

Male smooth whales have probably the largest testicles among animals, weighing up to 500 kg, which, however, is less than 1% of the weight of an adult whale.

Lifestyle and numbers

The range of the family covers the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans between 20 and 60 °. Northern view Eubalaena glacialis inhabits the North Atlantic, the Japanese whale is found in the North Pacific Ocean, from Japan to Alaska, southern species Eubalaena australis - in temperate and cold waters of the Southern Hemisphere. The bowhead whale is common in the cold waters of the Northern Hemisphere, where its habitat is associated with floating ice. They are rare in the open sea; they keep off the coast and on the continental shelf.

Smooth whales swim slowly, do not submerge deeply, adhering to the surface layers of water, where large accumulations of their only food - small planktonic crustaceans (mainly calanuses, Calanus). Less often they eat small (4–5 mm) pteropods. They don't eat fish. When whales swim into an accumulation of plankton, they open their mouths and filter food out of the water using a whalebone. The plankton is then scraped off the plates with the tongue. For food they usually dive no deeper than 15-18 m, staying under water for 10-20 minutes. The speed of a calmly swimming whale is about 7 km / h, frightened or injured - up to 14 km / h. Despite the sluggishness, smooth whales are able to perform powerful multiple jumps, rapidly emerging from the water, rise vertically above the water surface and even do a "headstand" ( Eubalaena australis). Quite playful and inquisitive, especially young individuals; can play with objects in the water.

Smooth whales keep singly or in groups of 3-4 individuals, especially in places where food is concentrated. The songs of the whales of this family are quite simple; they typically emit sounds at around 500 Hz. Migrations are rather weak. They never swim in tropical waters, as a thick layer of subcutaneous fat impairs heat exchange. The biology of reproduction has been little studied. The duration of pregnancy is about 12 months. Southern right whale cubs are born from January to April in the Northern Hemisphere; bowhead whales from March to August, most often in May. The length of a newborn smooth whale is 4.5–5.2 m. The parental instinct is highly developed. The female gives birth to 1 cub every 2 (southern whales) or 3-4 years (bowhead whale). Life expectancy is 40 years or more. The only enemies of young smooth whales are killer whales and, more rarely, large sharks.

Smooth whales were heavily exterminated even before the mechanization of whaling, since they are easy to catch: they live near the coast, near the surface of the water, are slow, and killed whales stay on the surface of the water due to a large amount (up to 40% of body weight) of subcutaneous fat, making it easier towing. Currently, smooth whales are few in number and have no economic value. The number of northern right whales is estimated at just 300 individuals, Japanese - 200, southern - 7500 individuals. The first two species are listed in the International Red Book as endangered species, the population of southern right whales is gradually recovering, increasing by about 7% per year. Hunting for smooth whales has been prohibited by an international convention since 1937. The catch of a small number of whales is allowed only for the aboriginal population. One of the main threats to right whales are collisions with ships during migrations, during which whales cross the shipping routes of the Northern Hemisphere.

List of species

The family currently includes 2 genera and 4 species:

  • Bowhead whales ( Balaena)
    • Bowhead whale ( Balaena mysticetus)
  • Southern whales ( Eubalaena) - also called "smooth".
    • Southern smooth whale ( Eubalaena australis)
    • Northern smooth whale ( Eubalaena glacialis)
    • Japanese whale ( Eubalaena japonica).

The genus of southern whales was initially considered monotypic, divided into 3 subspecies. A recent study of the genome of the whales themselves and the whale lice living on them made it possible to establish that different populations of southern whales have not interbred for at least 3-5 million years. Fossil remains of 5 more species of whales of the genus Balaena, who lived in the late Miocene - early Pleistocene, were found in Europe and North America: B. affinis, B. etrusca, B. montalionis, B. primigenius and B. prisca (the latter is probably the ancestor of the bowhead whale). The closest fossil cetacean Morenocetus, dates back to 23 million years.

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Excerpt from Smooth Whales

“Good, but he won't like it very much,” remarked Bolkonsky.
- Oh, and very much! My brother knows him: he dined with him more than once, with the current emperor, in Paris and told me that he had never seen a more refined and cunning diplomat: you know, a combination of French dexterity and Italian acting? Do you know his anecdotes with Count Markov? Only Count Markov knew how to handle him. Do you know the history of the headscarf? This is lovely!
And the talkative Dolgorukov, turning now to Boris, now to Prince Andrey, told how Bonaparte, wishing to test Markov, our envoy, purposely dropped his handkerchief in front of him and stopped, looking at him, probably expecting a service from Markov and how Markov immediately he dropped his handkerchief beside him and raised his without lifting Bonaparte's.
- Charmant, [Charming,] - said Bolkonsky, - but that's what, prince, I came to you as a petitioner for this young man. Do you see what? ...
But Prince Andrew did not have time to finish, as the adjutant entered the room, who called Prince Dolgorukov to the emperor.
- Oh, what a shame! - said Dolgorukov, hastily getting up and shaking hands with Prince Andrey and Boris. - You know, I am very glad to do everything that depends on me, both for you and for this lovely young man. He shook Boris's hand once again with an expression of good-natured, sincere and lively frivolity. “But you see… until another time!
Boris was worried about the closeness to the higher power, in which he felt himself at that moment. He recognized himself here in contact with those springs that guided all those tremendous movements of the masses, of which in his regiment he felt himself a small, submissive and insignificant part. They went out into the corridor after Prince Dolgorukov and met a short man in civilian dress coming out (from the door of the sovereign's room into which Dolgorukov entered), with an intelligent face and a sharp line of jaw thrust forward, which, without spoiling him, gave him a special liveliness and resourcefulness of expression. This short man nodded as to his own Dolgoruky and began to gaze with a cold gaze at Prince Andrey, walking straight at him and apparently expecting Prince Andrey to bow to him or give him a way. Prince Andrew did neither one nor the other; anger was expressed in his face, and the young man, turning away, walked along the side of the corridor.
- Who is it? Boris asked.
- This is one of the most wonderful, but the most unpleasant people to me. This is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Adam Czartorizhsky.
“These people,” said Bolkonsky with a sigh, which he could not suppress, while they were leaving the palace, “these are the people who decide the fate of peoples.
The next day, the troops set out on a campaign, and Boris did not have time to visit either Bolkonsky or Dolgorukov until the battle of Austerlitz, and remained for a while in the Izmailovsky regiment.

At the dawn of the 16th, Denisov's squadron, in which Nikolai Rostov served and who was in the detachment of Prince Bagration, moved from an overnight stay to business, as they said, and, having passed about a mile behind the other columns, was stopped on the main road. Rostov saw how the Cossacks, the 1st and 2nd squadrons of hussars, infantry battalions with artillery passed by him, and generals Bagration and Dolgorukov with their adjutants passed. All the fear that he, as before, experienced before the case; all the inner struggle through which he overcame this fear; all his dreams about how he would distinguish himself in the hussar in this matter were in vain. Their squadron was left in reserve, and Nikolai Rostov spent that day bored and dreary. At 9 o'clock in the morning, he heard firing ahead of him, shouts of hurray, saw the wounded brought back (there were few of them) and, finally, saw how in the middle of a hundred Cossacks led a whole detachment of French cavalrymen. Obviously, it was over, and it was obviously small, but happy. The soldiers and officers who were passing back spoke of the brilliant victory, the capture of the city of Vischau and the capture of an entire French squadron. The day was clear, sunny, after a strong night frost, and the cheerful shine of an autumn day coincided with the news of the victory, which was conveyed not only by the stories of those who participated in it, but also by the joyful expression on the faces of soldiers, officers, generals and adjutants who rode there and from there past Rostov ... All the more painful was the heart of Nicholas, who had unnecessarily endured all the fear that preceded the battle, and had spent this cheerful day in inaction.
- Rostov, come here, let's drink from grief! - Denisov shouted, sitting down at the edge of the road in front of a flask and a snack.
The officers gathered in a circle, eating and talking, near Denisov's cellar.
- Here's another one! - said one of the officers, pointing to a French captive dragoon, who was being led on foot by two Cossacks.
One of them was leading a tall and beautiful French horse taken from a prisoner.
- Sell the horse! - Denisov shouted to the Cossack.
- Please, your honor ...
The officers stood up and surrounded the Cossacks and the captured Frenchman. The French dragoon was a young fellow, Alsatian, who spoke French with a German accent. He was gasping for breath with excitement, his face was red, and when he heard french, he quickly spoke to the officers, referring to one or the other. He said that he would not have been taken; that it was not his fault that he was taken, but the fault of le caporal, who sent him to seize the blankets, that he told him that the Russians were already there. And to every word he added: mais qu "on ne fasse pas de mal a mon petit cheval [But do not offend my horse,] and caressed his horse. It was evident that he did not really understand where he was. He then apologized, that he was taken, then, assuming before him his superiors, he showed his soldier's serviceability and solicitude for the service. He brought with him to our rearguard in all the freshness of the atmosphere of the French army, which was so alien to us.
The Cossacks gave the horse for two ducats, and Rostov, now, having received the money, the richest of the officers, bought it.
"Mais qu" on ne fasse pas de mal a mon petit cheval, "the Alsatian said good-naturedly to Rostov when the horse was handed over to the hussar.
Rostov, smiling, calmed the dragoon and gave him money.
- Hello! Hello! - said the Cossack, touching the hand of the prisoner so that he went on.
- Sovereign! Sovereign! - suddenly heard between the hussars.
Everything ran, in a hurry, and Rostov saw from behind on the road several horsemen approaching with white sultans on their hats. In one minute everyone was in their places and waited. Rostov did not remember and did not feel how he ran to his place and got on the horse. Instantly passed his regret for not participating in the case, his everyday disposition in the circle of the people who looked closely, instantly disappeared all thought of himself: he was completely absorbed in the feeling of happiness arising from the proximity of the sovereign. He felt that this closeness alone was rewarded for the loss of this day. He was as happy as a lover waiting for the expected date. Not daring to look around at the front and not looking around, he felt his approach with an enthusiastic instinct. And he felt this not only from the sound of the horses' hooves of the approaching cavalcade, but he felt it because, as he approached, everything brighter, more joyful and significant and festive became around him. This sun moved closer and closer for Rostov, spreading rays of gentle and majestic light around him, and now he already feels himself captured by these rays, he hears his voice - this gentle, calm, majestic and at the same time so simple voice. As it should have been according to Rostov's feelings, there was a dead silence, and in this silence the sounds of the sovereign's voice were heard.

 

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