LURE OF AMBERGRIS

Taranaki Daily News, 7 June 1930, Page 17 (Supplement)

LURE OF AMBERGRIS

RECENT TARANAKI FINDS

(By

C.M.H.)

While some Maoris were travelling along the beach near Puhgafehu last week a discovt-ry of ambergris was made. Several nieces, it is understock were found, aggregating about 2%1b. Early this year- a piece of ambergris weighing.' about lib. was analysed for a Maori, and has been sent to England to be sold.—News item.

In appearance, ..ambergris is a fatty, solid, inflammable substance of ft dull grey or 'blackish colour and shades varying’ between these.' At' times there' are variegated streaks like marble running through the substance; It possesses a peculiar, sweet, earthy. "odour whenfound bn the 'seashore. It is sometimes found • floating iff the sea or thrown up on to the shore by tide action., It originates" in the intestines' ofj/the .spermaceti whale, and is a disease that attacks the biliary organs." . When takeii ’ frbm. the body' of a' ffeshlydkilled" whale ambergris has a very disagreeable smell,, but on exposure to air it gradually hardens arid* develops a sweet, earthy odour. .Very frequently, ambergris' contains the'horny beaks of small octopi .or squids upon which the spermaceti whale ■largely, feeds. This is. considered proof that ambergris is not a substance swallowed by. the whale, but that it is a disease that is formed within the body of the creature. When ambergris is found in the intestines of a whale the creature is generally in. A sickly or dying condition which is’.taken as an indication that the disease is often responsible for its death.' . ■ When found cast up by. the sea ambergris is usually hard, and more or less brittle. If 'held in the warmth of the hand it softens like putty and may ■be rolled in the palms of the hands into the shape of a ball. ' The. substance has a high commercial, value in European markets, where it is used almost exclusively for the manufacture.. of perfumery. Its price varies from fifteen to twenty-five shillings per ounce according to quality. When made soluble by’ treatment with alcohol it is extensively used for giving a floral fragrance to bouquets, washes and such preparations. In Eastern countries it ,is still used in medicine and also as a flavouring material in cookery. For years past varying quantities of ambergris have been found on New Zealand coasts. In the extreme noj-th. of the North Island the beaches are diligently searched for the material. Evidently the set of the currents carries the' ambergris to these beaches and valuable finds have. been made. In the old days whales , were, in the habit of frequenting these waters in fairly large ln the quiet, secluded bays female whales found excellent sanctuary for giving birth to their calves, and they usually stayed, there for three or four months to enable their young to grow sturdy for the. return visit to Antarctic waters as the' warmer weather . advanced. Other localities that ar& eagerly-searched for ambergris are the bays’in -the rock-bound coast surrounding- Stewart Island. Searchers frequently", spend months traversing the beaches, and quite a good livelihood, it is said, has been the reward of the more enthusiastic. The substance is -found in pieces ranging from half an ounce to over LOOlbs. -

In the whaling industry, whenever a specimen of the sperm or cachelot whale is secured careful search is always- made in tire interior of .the carcase for the precious ambergris. Cases are on record where upwards of. £5OO worth of the product has been secured from a whale hunted and killed for the wealth of oil to be secured, from the blubber or fat lying like a thick 'blanket under the hide.

Because of its high price attempts have been known to manufacture ambergris and fraudulently place it on the market. It is a simple matter to test the genuine article,’ because it is soluble in hot alcohol, has a fragrant odour, and is of uniform fatty consistence on being penetrated by a. red-hot wire. Ambergris lias long been known to the Maoris, but it is only in recent times that tliey have learnt that it has a commercial value. The Maori has always loved to visit the sea shore in search of shellfish, and periodical visits are made to secure supplies of the various kinds to be found. He knows the bays and inlets where the tides wash up the flotsam and jetsam of the ocean, and a search of these localities sometimes, rewards the seeker with a piece of ambergris. ' Varied and considerable are. the .substances picked up on the sea. shore that the -finders imagine to be ambergris. .An enthusiast who gave a lot of time to collecting, considered he had won a considerable. fortune. HU collection amounted to several sacks full of a substance which he had assured himself was the genuine article. Great was the collector’s disgust to find out, after months of diligent work, that the substance was nothing, more than a species of decadent sponge that is swept up to the beaches from the bed of the ocean during violent storms. A story is told of a milkman in one of our towns who propped his gateway open for over 12 months with a piece of ambergris weighing about forty pounds. He had found the lump on the beach but did not know what it was. A seafaring man came along and offered to buy the “stone” because of its peculiar formation. For a sum of five shillings. lie made the purchase and when the specimen was forwarded to the proper European quarters it was found to be of excellent quality and netted the purchaser the**yery handsome return of somewhere in the vicinity of £6OO.

Though ambergris has been known to the world for centuries, not until modern times wag its origin traced. The ancients believed it was a species of fungus thrown up from the bed of the sea. Another theory was that it was solidified sea foam. Because of the mystery-surrounding its origin it was looked upon as valuable for medicinal purposes, and it was made into charms, the possessors of which claimed immunity from ’Sickness. It was also considered to carry much good fortune to any person lucky enough to secure a specimen.