A double page taken from Conrad Gessner’s book on fish. The chapter title runs across both pages and reads: “Der zwölfte Teil von allerley Wallfischen” (Whales of all varieties, part twelve). Five coloured woodcuts depict a range of scenes featuring whales. The upper left woodcut, as indicated by the accompanying caption, features two whales swimming in the sea: a porpoise and a “hoger” whale. The first of the two is suckling its young. The next woodcut down shows a huge porpoise forcing a ship underwater. At the very bottom we can see the decapitation of a dead whale. Seven people are hacking up the animal with axes and knives, packing their spoils into barrels. To the right we can see two people positioned on a so-called “tüffel” whale that is emerging from the water. According to the caption, these people believed they were stepping onto an island rather than a living creature. The last woodcut shows two porpoises casting forth large fountains of water. On the small ship beside them, people are trying to drive the animals away by blowing trumpets and yelling. A Fraktur typeface is used in the picture titles and explanations printed between the woodcuts.