84 THE NARWAL. 



the edges of the tail run in the same way along the 

 body, and form ridges on the sides of the rump. 

 Posterior to a very slight elevation at the spiracle, 

 the outline of the back forms a regular curve; the 

 belly appears to rise, or is contracted near the vent, 

 and expands to an obvious bump, about two feet an- 

 terior to the genitals. The back appears depressed 

 and flat three or four feet posterior to the neck. 



The head forms about one seventh of the whole 

 length of the animal, being small, blunt, and round. 

 The mouth is small, and incapable of much exten- 

 sion, having a wedge-shaped underlip. The eyes 

 are only one inch in their largest diameter, and are 

 placed on a line with the opening of the mouth, at 

 about thirteen inches from the snout. The opening 

 of the ear, situated six inches behind the eye, on 

 the same horizontal line, is of the diameter of a 

 small knitting needle. The scull of the narwal, 

 like the dolphin, &c. is concave above, and sends 

 forth a large, flat, wedge shaped process in front, 

 which affords sockets for the tusks. There is upon 

 this process a bed of fat extending horizontally to 

 the thickness of ten or twelve inches, and eight or 

 ten perpendicularly. To this fat, the roundness of 

 the head is owing, and according to the quantity 

 present, is the prominence of the front, and the va- 

 riation of the facial angle, from 60 to 90 degrees. 



The spiracle or blowhole is situated immediately 

 over the eyes, and is a single semicircular opening 

 about three and a half inches in diameter and one 



