THE ORDER CETACEA. 149 



been generally stated that the spermaceti whale had 

 none in the upper jaw. 



The tongue is a mass of flesh of a square form, of a 

 livid red colour, filling almost the whole of the bottom 

 of the mouth. The breathing-holes pass diagonally 

 through the head, are about six inches in diameter, and 

 unite into one just above the end of the snout. The 

 eyes are black, small when compared to the bulk of the 

 body, are furnished with eyelids, surrounded by strong 

 short hair, though not very perceptible, and situated at 

 a prodigious distance from the snout ; the external ori- 

 fices of the ears are scarcely discernible, the openings 

 of which are placed behind the orbit of the eyes, on a 

 cutaneous excrescence between the eyes and the pectoral 

 fins. The swimming paws and tail are small for the size 

 of the fish ; the tail terminates in a fin, which is divided 

 into two lobes : these are long and hollowed out in form 

 of a sickle, and have a seamy margin. 



The head is separated from the trunk by a transverse 

 groove, extending to the place of insertion of the pec- 

 toral fins, which are of an oval form, three or four feet 

 long, and three inches thick ; the back is black, or of a 

 slate blue, spotted with white, on which there is a cal- 

 losity extending two-thirds of the whole length. It 

 rises several inches above the surface, and is slightly in- 

 clined where it terminates, behind it is truncated. The 

 belly is white, the flesh of a pale red like that of pork ; 

 the animal yields a considerable quantity of spermaceti, 

 though this seems to vary in colour according to the 

 climate in which the whale has lived. The fat or blub- 

 ber is about five or six inches thick on the back, rather 

 less on the belly; it lies immediately under the skin; it 

 is not very productive of oil. This species feeds on 

 lump, cuttle, and dog-fishes ; it is said even to attack and 



