THE ORDER CETACEA. 139 



shape and prominence of the forehead. In consequence 

 of this, what has been called the facial angle is in some 

 narwhales less than sixty degrees, in others upwards of 

 of ninety. The blow-hole communicates with a large 

 double cavity or air-vessel, immediately under the skin, 

 and this is connected with the naves of the skull, where 

 the opening is divided by a bony septum. 



In a fine fatty substance about the internal ears of 

 the narwhale, are found multitudes of worms. They 

 are about an inch in length, some shorter, very slender, 

 tapering both ways, but are sharper at one end than 

 another. They are transparent. Within is the appear- 

 ance of a canal ; without is a brownish ridge, running 

 longitudinally along the body. 



The spine of the narwhale is about twelve feet in 

 length, the cervical vertebrae seven in number, the 

 dorsal twelve, the lumbar and caudal thirty-five. The 

 whole are fifty-four, of which twelve enter the tail, and 

 extend to within an inch of its extremity. The spinal 

 marrow appears to run through the whole of the ver- 

 tebrae from the head to the fortieth, but does not pene- 

 trate the forty-first. The spinous process diminishes in 

 length after the fifteenth lumbar vertebra, until it is 

 hardly perceivable at the nineteenth. Large anterior or 

 belly process on the opposite side of the spine and the 

 spinous process, attached to two adjoining vertebrae, com- 

 mence between the thirtieth and thirty-first, terminat- 

 ing between the forty-second and forty-third vertebra. 

 The ribs are twelve on each, six true and six false, and 

 are slender for the size of the animal. The sternum or 

 breast-bone is of the shape of a heart, the broadest part 

 being forward. Two of the false ribs on each side are 

 united by cartilages to the sixth true rib ; the rest are 

 detached. 



