Smooth whales. Southern right whale. Where do they live

Northern right whale. On the basis of mainly geographical isolation, but in the absence of sharp morphological differences, the species is divided into three subspecies: the Biscay northern right 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 northern right whale (E. g. australis Desmoulins, 1822) inhabits the waters of the southern hemisphere.

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

The trunk of the northern right whale is short, as thick as possible between the navel and the pectoral fin, sharply narrowed towards the end of the tail; the caudal peduncle is laterally compressed. In the neck area (in front of the pectoral fins) there is a small cervical interception. The head relatively increases with age from 25 to 31%. The upper jaw is curved in the sagittal plane; in the posterior half of the jaw, the curve is much steeper than in the anterior. The intricately curved oral fissure, repeating the curve of the upper jaw, descends steeply in the posterior part, but sharply turns back near the corner of the mouth under the eye and slightly extends behind the eye. On the upper edge of the lower fleshy lips are scalloped outgrowths (rounded teeth). Two slightly curved slits of the blowhole are located on the top of the head, in a depression slightly in front of the section line through the eyes. On the head between the blowhole and the anterior end of the snout (closer to the latter) is a horny outgrowth; its length varies from 2.5 to 7.6% and width from 1.3 to 3.1% of the body length.


On the uneven surface of the growth ("hat"), a mass of whale lice usually settles. The functional significance of the growth has not been elucidated. Horny bumps 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) also sit one by one on horn cones. Pectoral fins large, wide, 13.4-19.6% long from apex to anterior end of their lower margin and 6.5-10.8% wide of zoological length; 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 sagittally curved and the rostrum narrower than that of the bowhead whale. The broad nasals are roughly quadrangular in shape, slightly notched at the anterior end, sometimes slightly narrower anteriorly than posteriorly. The premaxillaries are wide, occupying most of the upper surface of the rostrum. In the skull of adult right whales, the lateral parts of the occipital region do not extend backward 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 backwards in young animals.

In the filtering apparatus in each right and left, widely separated from one another, there are from 210 to 260 mustache plates. 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 up to a maximum of 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 those of the bowhead whale. The color of the plates and fringes is black (in young it is grayish or bluish-black), but occasionally the front whiskers are completely 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 a row along the fringed edge of the plate varies from 45 to 55.

There is no dorsal fin. Wide pectoral fins have pointed tips on a rounded top. The subcutaneous fat layer is very powerful, 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 coloration black or dark bluish, slightly lighter below, but often the belly with white spots of various sizes, and sometimes completely white (in this case, the dark and light colors are sharply demarcated, without transitional tones). White-bellied animals are found 5-10 times less often than dark-bellied and gray-bellied animals. The light-colored area in white-bellied individuals is usually expanded at the throat, narrowed behind the pectoral fins and expanded again in the umbilical region. Correlation of white color with age or sex is not observed. 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 spots on the edges. Large bright white markings on the dark background of the body represent traces of skin damage. Coloring of newborns is light gray, darkens later.

Distribution and migrations. The range includes three main regions: North Atlantic (subspecies Biscay ki t Eubalaena glacialis), North Pacific (Japanese whale - E. g. sieboldi) and anti-boreal (Australian whale - E. g. aastralis; absent in our waters). The Japanese whale differs from the Biscay and Australian whales in its greater body length and whalebone height, 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 Svalbard archipelago, the Kola Peninsula, the Jan Mayen Islands, Iceland, about - Newfoundland and Davis Strait. It is absent in the tropical region and at high latitudes.

The Japanese right whale inhabits the waters of the Pacific Ocean from Alaska and the Aleutian ridge to the states of Oregon and California and from the Gulf of Anadyr. the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Sea of ​​Japan to the Yellow and East China Seas. The ranges of the pagophilic greyland whale and the ice-avoiding right whale do not coincide, but only border or slightly overlap. that the southern border of the first kind is adjacent to the northern border of the second. In the past, the largest accumulation of the Japanese whale in our waters was considered in the areas of the Shantar Islands, Olsko-Tauysky Bay, Penzhinskaya Bay and Kambalnaya Bay in the summer-autumn half-year. In winter, Japanese whales descend to almost 20-25°N. Ch., and migrate to the northern waters for the summer. Animals were recorded off the coast of Taiwan and the Bonin Islands in February, off the island of Honshu in March-April, off Hokkaido in April-May, in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, 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 is characterized by regular seasonal migrations. Not only each subspecies, but also individual populations migrate in their own ways and at different times. In the scheme, they move from wintering areas from warm areas of their range in spring to temperate and cold waters for summer and return to wintering and breeding areas in autumn.

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

When fishing for the southern right whale with nets in Japan, the depth of its immersion was set to only 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 even enters small straits up to 12 m deep.



Reproduction and development. It breeds, apparently, once every two years in warm and temperate waters. Birth and mating in right whales of the northern hemisphere probably occurs 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, lasting 6-7 months, their length increases to 10.6 m. Young ones 10.6 m long feed on their own. It is believed that puberty occurs at the age of 10 years. By this time, males have an average length of 14.5-15.5, females - 15-16m. By the time growth stops (physical maturity), the body length of the whales is still increasing. In large males, the penis reaches a length of 180 cm.

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

Behavior more 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 of concentration of food objects can form small clusters of several dozen goals. In a calm state, southern whales swim at a speed of 7 km, and frightened - up to 14 km / h. At high speed, they are able to partially (up to half of their length) jump out of the water, sometimes up to eight times in a row.

After 5-6 and, as an exception, 15 fountains, the whales dive for 10-20 minutes, while the disturbed whales dive for 30 or even 50 minutes. Fountains up to 4.5 m high are clearly bifurcated, so they seem wider and thicker than those of minke whales. During intermediate dives, the tail blades are not shown, but they do this when they dive steeply down (“probing”). Often the whale dives vertically and then exposes the huge blades of the caudal fin from the water. Games were observed when the animal is exposed from the water high or even almost jumps out and then falls into the water with noise.


population. As a result of intensive fishing at the end of the last and at the beginning of the current century, the number of all subspecies has been catastrophically reduced. 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 importance. 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, Svalbard, Iceland, and also to the waters of North America (from North Carolina to Newfoundland). In the middle of the XVI century. annually fished up to 400 ships different countries, which undermined the stocks of these whales in the Atlantic. Already in the late XIX and early XX centuries. Scottish whalers caught only dozens of Biscay whales, and from 1920 to 1934 Faroe Islands stations and Norwegian ships took only six whales.

Meat and fat mixed with cloudberries were considered a delicacy among the coastal inhabitants (Aleuts, Eskimos, Indians). The bones were used to build dwellings, the veins were used to sew kayaks together.

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

Large right whales give about 15-18 tons of fat and up to 600 kg of whiskers. Weighted in parts, a female 1165 cm long (22 866 kg) and a male 1240 cm long (22 247 kg) gave the following products (respectively in kilograms): meat 7990 and 6622, fat 8259 and 10 030, whalebone 263 and 239, bones 3166 and 2921 (including: skull 993 and 645, mandible 253 and 338, ribs with sternum 368 and 487, vertebral column 1109 and 935, scapula and fin 443 and 501) and entrails (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). From another female 1165 cm long, 11,500 kg of fat were obtained (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 painter N. N. Kondakov
2. Professor Tomilin Avenir Grigorievich. Cetaceans of the seas of the USSR, 1961

Southern right whale (lat. Eubalaena australis) was one of the first among its brethren to suffer from whaling. Unfortunately, it is very slow, which, combined with curiosity, makes it easy prey even for a primitive vessel of the last century. Towing such a whale was a piece of cake, as it kept on the surface of the water all the time 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. Appearance it is so similar to its fellow North Atlantic and Japanese whales that before all three were even assigned to the same species.

The color of the southern right whale varies from blue-black to light brown. Interestingly, sometimes white male whales are born, which at the same time are not albinos. Near the lower jaw and above the eyes, each representative of the species has peculiar skin growths that are so individual that they can even serve for identification.

The maximum body length of the southern smooth 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 to breed. Most often, these whales are seen at the Cape of Good Hope, near the Valdes Peninsula in Argentina and near the city of Albany, which is located in Western Australia.

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

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

Southern smooth whales feed on plankton, sucking it up with water and filtering it through a whalebone. But they are not interested in fish at all. These are very slow animals, the average speed of which is 9 km / h. Frightened whales accelerate to 14 km/h. But with all this, they are able to surprise with acrobatic stunts. For example, make powerful multiple jumps or quickly emerge from 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 able to attack young whales. Sometimes they run into court. But in general, the status of the species causes the least concern.

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

The local community has made sure that for the terminally ill boy, nicknamed "The Brave Whale", Christmas comes a couple of months early. For the local hero, they even staged a real parade in his hometown.



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

A member of the out-of-hospital relief program, Keith battled cancer for six years. Sensing the inevitable approaching, he asked his mother for a special privilege on her wedding day.

"He said, 'You know, Mom, I'd like to take you to the altar before you die,'" 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 at the same time."

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

The video, available on Facebook, shows Keith using a wheelchair to walk Taylor down the aisle and then stay by his mother's side throughout the wedding ceremony.

Best of the day

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

“Mommy 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. A part of me is gone forever. love you..."

The first symptoms of oncology made themselves felt when Keith was only five years old. He landed in 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 Burkett's skull, left shoulder, lower spine, pelvis and liver.

Speaking to a Beacon Journal reporter about how Keith reasoned and prepared for his own death, Taylor said: "He said he didn't want to die alone. He said he didn't have a 'death experience'. He was worried about where go after death.

"To this I replied that we need to go to the light," added Woodard, bursting into tears.

Realizing how Keith's story would 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 a recent Facebook post, Taylor spoke of the unbearable horror that fills the heart of a mother as she watches her child die.

“I hope Keith has shown each of you how short life can be so that you will never take it for granted again,” Woodard writes. “I hope my son has shown each of you that love always conquers evil.”

"I hope Keith has demonstrated to all of you that no matter what challenges you may come across, you should never give up."

Keith Burkett was supposed to be 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 furrows and stripes. The sizes are large - body length is from 11 to 18 (rarely 21) m, weight is from 30 to 80–100 tons. The most typical body length is 13–16 m. Females of southern right whales are 0.3–1 m larger than males. The head is huge, 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 interception is not pronounced. Adult bowhead whales are characterized by 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, paddle-shaped.

Male right whales have probably the largest testicles among animals - their weight reaches 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 lives in the North Atlantic, the Japanese right whale is found in the North Pacific, from Japan to Alaska, southern species Eubalaena australis- in temperate and cold waters of the Southern Hemisphere. The bowhead whale is distributed in the cold waters of the Northern Hemisphere, where its habitat is associated with floating ice. Rare in the open sea, they live off the coast and on the continental shelf.

Smooth whales swim slowly, do not dive deep, adhering to the surface layers of water, where there are large accumulations of their only food - small planktonic crustaceans (mainly calanus, Calanus). Less commonly, they eat small (4–5 mm) pteropods. They don't eat fish. Swimming into the accumulation of plankton, whales open their mouths and filter food from the water with the help of a whalebone. The plankton is then scraped off the plates with the tongue. For food, they usually dive no deeper than 15–18 m, remaining 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 slowness, smooth whales are able to make powerful multiple jumps, rapidly emerging from the water, rise vertically above the surface of the water, and even do a “headstand” ( Eubalaena australis). Quite playful and inquisitive, especially young individuals; can play with objects in the water.

Right whales are kept alone or in groups of 3-4 individuals, especially in places where food is accumulated. The songs of the whales of this family are quite simple; as a rule, they make sounds at a frequency of about 500 Hz. Migrations are rather weakly expressed. 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. Right whale calves in the Northern Hemisphere are born from January to April; 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 brings 1 cub every 2 (southern right whales) or 3–4 years (bowhead whale). Life expectancy of 40 years or more. The only enemies of young right whales are killer whales and, more rarely, large sharks.

Right whales were heavily exterminated even before the mechanization of whaling, because they are easy to catch: they live near the coast, near the surface of the water, are slow, and dead whales stay on the surface of the water due to the large amount (up to 40% of body weight) of subcutaneous fat, making it easier towing. At present, right whales are not numerous and have no economic importance. The number of northern right whales is estimated at only 300 individuals, Japanese - at 200, southern - at 7,500 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 banned by an international convention since 1937. The extraction 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 furrows and stripes. The sizes are large - body length is from 11 to 18 (rarely 21) m, weight is from 30 to 80–100 tons. The most typical body length is 13–16 m. Females of southern right whales are 0.3–1 m larger than males. The head is huge, 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 interception is not pronounced. Adult bowhead whales are characterized by 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, paddle-shaped.

Male right whales have probably the largest testicles among animals - their weight reaches 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 lives in the North Atlantic, the Japanese right whale is found in the North Pacific, from Japan to Alaska, southern species Eubalaena australis- in temperate and cold waters of the Southern Hemisphere. The bowhead whale is distributed in the cold waters of the Northern Hemisphere, where its habitat is associated with floating ice. Rare in the open sea, they live off the coast and on the continental shelf.

Smooth whales swim slowly, do not dive deep, adhering to the surface layers of water, where there are large accumulations of their only food - small planktonic crustaceans (mainly calanus, Calanus). Less commonly, they eat small (4–5 mm) pteropods. They don't eat fish. Swimming into the accumulation of plankton, the whales open their mouths and filter food from the water with the help of a whalebone. The plankton is then scraped off the plates with the tongue. For food, they usually dive no deeper than 15–18 m, remaining 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 slowness, smooth whales are able to make powerful multiple jumps, rapidly emerging from the water, rise vertically above the surface of the water, and even do a “headstand” ( Eubalaena australis). Quite playful and inquisitive, especially young individuals; can play with objects in the water.

Right whales are kept alone or in groups of 3-4 individuals, especially in places where food is accumulated. The songs of the whales of this family are quite simple; as a rule, they make sounds at a frequency of about 500 Hz. Migrations are rather weakly expressed. 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. Right whale calves in the Northern Hemisphere are born from January to April; 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 brings 1 cub every 2 (southern right whales) or 3–4 years (bowhead whale). Life expectancy of 40 years or more. The only enemies of young right whales are killer whales and, more rarely, large sharks.

Right whales were heavily exterminated even before the mechanization of whaling, because they are easy to catch: they live near the coast, near the surface of the water, are slow, and dead whales stay on the surface of the water due to the large amount (up to 40% of body weight) of subcutaneous fat, making it easier towing. At present, right whales are not numerous and have no economic importance. The number of northern right whales is estimated at only 300 individuals, Japanese - at 200, southern - at 7,500 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 banned by an international convention since 1937. The extraction of a small number of whales is allowed only to the aboriginal population. One of the main threats to right whales is ship collisions during migrations, during which whales cross Northern Hemisphere shipping routes.

List of species

The family currently includes 2 genera and 4 species:

  • bowhead whales ( Balaena)
    • bowhead whale ( Balaena mysticetus)
  • Southern right whales ( Eubalaena) are also called "smooth".
    • Southern right whale ( Eubalaena australis)
    • Northern right whale ( Eubalaena glacialis)
    • Japanese whale ( Eubalaena japonica).

The genus of southern right whales was originally considered monotypic, divided into 3 subspecies. A recent study of the genomes of the whales themselves and the whale lice that live on them has shown that different populations of southern right whales have not interbred for at least 3-5 million years. Fossils of another 5 species of whales of the genus Balaena, who lived at the end of the Miocene - the beginning of the Pleistocene, were discovered 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 nearest fossil cetacean, Morenocetus, dates back to 23 million years.

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An excerpt characterizing the Smooth whales

“Good, but he won’t like it very much,” Bolkonsky remarked.
- Oh, and very much! My brother knows him: he dined with him more than once, with the present 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 jokes with Count Markov? Only one Count Markov knew how to handle him. Do you know the history of the scarf? This is a charm!
And the garrulous Dolgorukov, turning now to Boris, now to Prince Andrei, told how Bonaparte, wanting to test Markov, our envoy, deliberately dropped his handkerchief in front of him and stopped, looking at him, probably expecting services from Markov and how, Markov immediately he dropped his handkerchief beside him and picked up his own without picking up Bonaparte's handkerchief.
- Charmant, [Charming,] - said Bolkonsky, - but here's what, prince, I came to you as a petitioner for this young man. Do you see what?…
But Prince Andrei did not have time to finish, when an 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 Andrei and Boris. - You know, I am very glad to do everything that depends on me, both for you and for this nice young man. - He once again shook Boris's hand with an expression of good-natured, sincere and lively frivolity. “But you see…until another time!”
Boris was excited by the thought of the closeness to the highest power in which he felt himself at that moment. He was aware of himself here in contact with those springs that guided all those enormous movements of the masses, of which he in his regiment felt himself to be a small, obedient and insignificant part. They went out into the corridor after Prince Dolgorukov and met a short man in civilian clothes, with an intelligent face and a sharp line of protruding jaw, which, without spoiling him, gave him special liveliness and resourcefulness of expression. This short man nodded, as to his own, Dolgoruky, and began to stare at Prince Andrei with an intently cold look, walking straight at him and apparently waiting for Prince Andrei to bow to him or give way. Prince Andrei 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 remarkable, but the most unpleasant people to me. This is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Adam Czartoryski.
“These are the people,” said Bolkonsky with a sigh that 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 dawn on the 16th, Denisov's squadron, in which Nikolai Rostov served, and who was in the detachment of Prince Bagration, moved from overnight to work, as they said, and, having passed about a verst behind 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 adjutants passed by. All the fear that he, as before, experienced before the deed; all the internal struggle through which he overcame this fear; all his dreams of how he would distinguish himself like a 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 cheers, saw the wounded brought back (there were few of them) and, finally, saw how in the middle of hundreds of Cossacks they led a whole detachment of French cavalrymen. Obviously, the matter was over, and the matter was apparently small, but happy. Soldiers and officers passing back spoke of a brilliant victory, about the occupation of the city of Vishau and the capture of an entire French squadron. The day was clear, sunny, after a strong night frost, and the merry brilliance of the 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 were traveling back and forth past Rostov . The more painful was the heart of Nikolai, who in vain had suffered all the fear that preceded the battle, and spent this cheerful day in inaction.
- Rostov, come here, let's drink from grief! shouted Denisov, sitting down on 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 dragoon prisoner, who was led on foot by two Cossacks.
One of them led a tall and beautiful French horse taken from a prisoner.
- Sell the horse! shouted Denisov to the Cossack.
"Excuse me, your honor..."
The officers stood up and surrounded the Cossacks and the captured Frenchman. The French dragoon was a young fellow, an Alsatian who spoke French with a German accent. He was choking with excitement, his face was red, and, hearing French, he quickly spoke to the officers, referring first to one, then to the other. He said they wouldn't take him; that it was not his fault that they took him, but le caporal, who sent him to seize 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 don't hurt my horse,] and caressed his horse. It was evident that he did not understand well where he was. He then apologized, that they took him, then, assuming before him his superiors, showed his soldierly serviceability and care for the service.He brought with him to our rearguard in all the freshness the atmosphere of the French army, which was so alien to us.
The Cossacks gave the horse for two chervonets, 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, reassured the dragoon and gave him money.
- Hello! Hello! - said the Cossack, touching the prisoner's hand so that he would go further.
- Sovereign! Sovereign! was suddenly heard among the hussars.
Everything ran, hurried, and Rostov saw several horsemen with white sultans on their hats driving up along the road. In one minute everyone was in place and waiting. Rostov did not remember and did not feel how he ran to his place and got on his horse. Instantly his regret for non-participation in the case passed, his everyday disposition of the spirit in the circle of looking at faces, all thought of himself instantly disappeared: he was completely absorbed in the feeling of happiness that comes from the closeness of the sovereign. He felt himself rewarded for the loss of this day by this closeness alone. He was happy, like a lover waiting for an expected date. Not daring to look back at the front and not looking back, he felt with an enthusiastic instinct its approach. And he felt this not only from the sound of the hooves of the horses of the approaching cavalcade, but he felt it because, as he approached, everything became brighter, more joyful, more significant and more festive around him. This sun for Rostov moved closer and closer, spreading rays of gentle and majestic light around itself, and now he already feels 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 dead silence, and in this silence the sounds of the sovereign's voice were heard.

 

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