THE ORDER CETACEA. 151 



The bones are employed by the Greenlanders to form 

 spears and other warlike weapons ; the flesh, the skin, 

 the fat, and the intestines, are applied to the same pur- 

 pose as those of the narwhale. The tongue roasted is 

 reckoned excellent food, and even esteemed a great de- 

 licacy. It is not very productive of oil. 



Having described the natural history of this whale, I must 

 not omit to mention the nature of the substance denominated 

 " Ambergrease,"* which as a perfume is highly esteemed 

 in the fashionable and commercial world. It is a solid, 

 opaque, ash-coloured, fatty, inflammable mass, variegated 

 like marble, extremely light, uneven, and rugged on its sur- 

 face, and, when heated, emits a fragrant odour. It is found 

 in the sea, or on the sea-coast, particularly in the Atlantic 

 ocean, on the sea- coast of Brazil, and that of Madagascar ; 

 on the coasts of Africa, of the East Indies, China, Japan, and 

 the Molucca islands ; but most of the ambergrease brought to 

 England comes from the Bahama islands, Providence Island, 

 &c, where it is discovered on the coast. It is found in the 

 abdomen of sperm whales, by the whalers, always in lumps 

 of various shapes and sizes, from half an ounce to a hundred 

 and more pounds. 



There have been numerous opinions concerning the origin 

 of this substance. But the most scientific and satisfactory 

 account is that given by the late Dr. Swediaur.f 



We are informed by all writers on this subject that some- 

 times claws, beaks, and feathers of birds, parts of vegetables, 

 bones offish, fish, shells, &c, are either found in it, or mixed 

 with it. Of a very large number of pieces which the doctor 

 examined, he found none that contained any such thing, al- 

 though he allows that they may be sometimes found ; but, in 

 all the pieces of any considerable size found either on the sea, 



* Synonymes. — Ambergrise, or Grey-amber. Amber, gris. Fr. 

 t Vide Philosophical Transactions for 1783. 



