38 MAMMALIA. CETACEA. Physeter. 



form. The mouth is pointed before, and the upper lip projects a little be- 

 yond the under. Eye on a cross line with the blow-hole. It has one long 

 tooth, projecting from the left side of the upper jaw (or intermaxillary bone) 

 through the lip ; hollow within and spirally twisted. Instances have occur- 

 red of two teeth, but the right one seldom appears. For some remarks on 

 the mode of dentition of this animal and of the porpoise, see Phil. Zool. v. ii. 

 208-210. These tusks are sometimes 10 feet in length, and, according to Mr 

 Scoresby, are peculiar to the males. The cervical vertebrae are 7, the dorsal 

 12, and the lumbar and caudal 35 in number. Ribs 6 true, and G false on 

 each side. Live on fish and sepiae, and usually keep in a herd of about a do- 

 zen. The following dimensions of a full grown male narwal are given by Mr 

 Scoresby: " Length, exclusive of the tusk, 15 feet ; from the snout to the 



eyes 1 foot 14 inch — to the fins 3 feet 1 inch — to the back-ridge 6 feet to 



the vent 9 feet 9 inches. Circumference — 44 inches from the snout, 3 feet 

 5 inches ; at the eyes and blowhole, 5 feet 34 inches ; just before the fins 7 

 feet 5 inches ; at the forepart of back-ridge, 8 feet 5 inches ; at the vent 5 

 feet 8 inches. Tusk, length externally 5 feet 4 inch ; its diameter at the base 

 24 inches. Length of the blow-hole 14 inch, and breadth 34 inches. Tail 14 

 inches long, and 3 feet 14 inch broad. Fins 13 inches long, and 1\ inches 

 broad." The tooth is characteristic of the male. Instances, however, occur, 

 though seldom, in which the female has a tooth. One is mentioned in Linn. 

 Trans, xiii. 620. : " The sex of this animal was satisfactorily ascertained in 

 cutting up, when two foetuses were taken out of it." 



B. Blow-hole single, being destitute of the bony septum. 

 Teeth in the lower jaw, with cavities in the upper Jbr 

 their reception. 



Gen. XXXVI. PHYSETER, (Artedi). Finner.— Fur- 

 nished with an elevated dorsal fin. 



51. P. Tursio. — Summits of the teeth flat. 



De Balaena macrocephala tripinni, quae in mandibula inferiore dentes 

 habet minus inflexos et in planum desinentes, Sibb. Phal. p. 43. a tooth 

 tab. ii — Physeter pinna dorsi altissima, apice dentium piano, Artedi, 

 Gen. p. 74 — Ph. Tur. Linn. Syst. 1. p. 107 — High-finned Cachalot, 

 Penn. Brit. Zool. hi. p. 64 — On the Scottish coast, rare. 

 In the example mentioned by Sibbald, a female, whicli came ashore in 

 Orkney in 1687, the head was 8 or 9 feet in height ; the blow-hole in front; 

 the tusks were but little bent, and nearly solid externally, or with only a la- 

 teral slit or a small cavity. Some of the teeth were 4 inches long. The dor- 

 sal fin was erect, like a mizen-mast. It yielded good spermaceti. 



58. P. microps. Spermaceti Whale.— Teeth bent, with 

 acute summits. 



De Balaena macrocephala, qua? tertiam in dorso pinnam sive spinam ha- 

 bet, et dentes in maxilla inferiore arcuatos falciformes, Sibb. Phal. p. 33. 

 tab. i — Ph. maxilla superiore longiore, spina longa in dorso, Artedi, 



Gen. p. 74 — P. microps, Linn. Syst. i. p. 107 Fab. Faun. Gr. p. 44. 



— Great-headed Cachalot, Low's Orkney, p. 160.— On the Scottish 

 coast, frequent. 



A male of this species was found at Limekilns in the Forth in February 

 1689, and described by Sibbald. It was 52 feet long. The upper jaw pro- 

 jected 24 feet beyond the lower. Lower jaw 10 feet long, and narrower than 

 the upper towards the extremity. From the snout to the eyes 12 feet. In 



