118 THE NATURAL HISTORY OF 



nasal bones are articulated by sutures, and extend the 

 whole length of the upper part of the mouth. Beneath 

 these are two ossa vomeres or ploughshare bones, form- 

 ing two thin osseous laminae, and these are closely con- 

 nected to the inferior part of the frontal bone. 



The superior surface of the palatine bones may be 

 perceived externally, and they are of a more spongy tex- 

 ture than the preceding. They are of a triangular form, 

 and are curved at the external margin. Towards the 

 posterior part there are five or six large foramina or ori- 

 fices, which afford a passage for the nutritive arteries, 

 &c. Between the above bones there is a large space left 

 in the upper part of the mouth, which affords a lodg- 

 ment to the ethmoidal bone (a bone that, in the superior 

 part of the human nose, is said to resemble a sieve) ; 

 and also for the spiracles, through which the animal 

 ejects water; and these are popularly denominated the 

 blow-holes. The ethmoidal bone is placed in the cavity 

 formed by the nasal bones, and by which it is concealed : 

 it is light, spongy, and formed of thin laminae. 



The lateral surfaces of the skull are likewise nearly 

 triangular, and extend superiorly only to the sides or 

 parietes or walls of the nose ; presenting several furrows 

 which afford a lodgment to several important blood- 

 vessels and nerves. The use of these bones is to aug- 

 ment the nasal cavity ; they are lined by a dense, thick, 

 olfactory membrane, in which the organ of smell is 

 situated. 



The inferior surface, like the rest, is triangular, and is 

 mostly formed by the principal part of the palatine 

 bones, and likewise possesses a great number of furrows 

 and canals which afford a passage to the nutritive vessels 

 and nerves ; in the exterior boundary there is a sulcus 

 or furrow, which indicates the place where the baleen or 



