86 THE NARWAL. 



The fins are twelve or fourteen inches long, and 

 six or eight broad, and placed at one fifth of the 

 length of the animal from the snout. Where fixed 

 to the body, the fin is elliptical, its longest axis 

 lying longitudinally, so that when the fin is elevated 

 to the swimming position, it is horizontal, the point 

 or tip is bent upwards or towards the back, conse- 

 quently, when the fin is in the swimming position, it 

 is concave above, and convex below, the thick edge 

 forward and the thin edge towards the tail. The 

 fin being horizontal, is evidently designed to bal- 

 ance the animal, while the tail, which is from fifteen 

 to twenty inches long, and three or four feet broad, 

 is the chief organ of motion, and is also used in 

 turning. That the fins are not commonly used 

 either for swimming or turning, appears probable 

 from repeated observations made with a teleseope 

 from the mast head. The fins were always seen, 

 steadily extended, and when the animal changed 

 its direction, the tail was bent suddenly and oblique- 

 ly to one side, and then slowly brought back, so 

 that the progressive motion and change of direction 

 were produced by the same effort; the fin at the 

 same time remaining motionless. 



The general colour of the young narwal is black- 

 ish gray on the back, variegated with numerous 

 darker spots running into each other and forming a 

 dusky black surface, paler and more open spots of 

 gray on a white ground at the sides, disappearing 

 altogether about the middle of the belly. In the 



