THE SPERM WHALE IN THE SHETLAND SEAS 



the great chamber for the lodgment of the spermaceti, 

 which, in consequence, had to a large extent drained away, 

 so that the captors obtained only a small quantity of this 

 valuable fat. The blubber yielded about 450 gallons 

 of oil. 



When the stomach was opened, numerous beaks of 

 cuttlefish were found in it. But in addition a quantity 

 of fish-hooks of various sizes were observed, ranging from 

 those used for catching haddocks to the largest size made 

 for use in Shetland and the Faroe Islands for the capture 

 of halibut. It would seem, therefore, as if the animal had 

 also lived on fish, and had cleared the fishermen's lines, 

 and swallowed the fish and the hooks to which they were 

 attached. 



Mr. Anderson writes me that a careful search in the 

 intestine of the Shetland specimen for ambergris was made, 

 but without success. He states that the fishermen told 

 him that in flensing the whale they found hair in places 

 rooted in the skin ; but as no portion of the skin was 

 preserved, neither he nor I was able to put this statement 

 to the test of observation. 



The lower jaw enables one to form a good idea of the 

 magnitude of the animal, and in the following table I have 

 placed side by side measurements of the Shetland specimen, 

 one caught some years ago in Loch Scavaig, Isle of Skye, 

 now in the Anatomical Museum of the University, and 

 one in the Museum of Science and Art, Edinburgh. 1 



1 See my paper in " Proc. Roy. Soc. Edin.," vol. vii. p. 635. 



