22 Structure and Economy 



Hull vessel, being at the time at some distance from its 

 mother, had run out some length of line, when the latter 

 appeared in sight, and rapidly bent her course towards it. In 

 vain did she use every usual means to induce it to leave the 

 place of danger, while swimming by its side, as far as the line 

 would allow, in circles around the boats, during the space of 

 four hours ; and within this time, on four separate occasions, 

 the parent was observed, when on the surface, to throw one of 

 her fins over the body of the young whale, and to endeavour to 

 drag it away by all the force she possessed ; she, lastly, in this 

 way set off with it, in a straight direction, carrying away ad- 

 ditional line, to the extent of seven hundred and twenty 

 fathoms ; but by that time, the young one became so much ex- 

 hausted from loss of blood, that she necessarily abandoned it to 

 its fate, and herself escaped, by pursuing her progress towards 

 the ice, roaring and spouting with great vehemence ; for here 

 I may observe, that when a whale is struck with a harpoon, or 

 is enraged by the loss of its young, it ejects the water through 

 its spiracles with great force, producing a stridulous kind of 

 roaring, which may be heard the distance of a mile. 



This species of whale affords to us a sublime instance of 

 contrivance, compensating its total want of teeth. I allude to 

 the hundreds of plates of whalebone, which cover the roof of 

 its mouth ; and which, by their growth, increasing in length, 

 and in breadth, often acquire twelve feet in length, and fifteen 

 inches broad. There have, indeed, been some instances in 

 which whalebone has attained fifteen feet in length ; I believe 

 there is at present a specimen of this kind in the Tower, which 

 was obtained by a London vessel, and, doubtless, from a whale 

 of enormous growth ; since those whales, which afford whalebone 

 of twelve feet, are themselves often more than sixty feet in 

 length. The upper surface of the skull of a whale of this size, 

 measured twenty feet eight inches long ; and the creature itself 

 weighed upwards of a hundred tons. 



The roots of the two sides of the arch of whalebone, in the 

 mouth of this animal, nearly meet at the top of the roof 

 whence they grow, at the anterior part of the mouth ; but they 

 gradually recede from each other, as they are continued back- 

 wards, till they approach the throat, when they again approxi- 



