On the eye of a JFhale, zvith the Author's obfervations oft the prejfurc of 

 the fea-zvater at great depths. 



X HE mailer of one of our Greenland fliips, by name Ifaac van 

 Krimpen, upon a certain time, made me a prefent of the eye of a 

 Whale, prelerved in fpirits of wine. This eye was not of a perfectly 

 ipherical figure, for its axis, in the thickefi: part, was two inches and 

 ieven-tenths of an inch in length, and the axis in the thinnelt part 

 was not longer than two inches and an half. 



That part of the tunica cornea in front of the eye, wliich rifes in a 

 globular protuberance, was two inches and an half in diameter. 



The cryflalline humour was not quite of a circular figure, as we 

 generally find it to be in fifhes ; but on one fide, its fliape was fome- 

 wliat depreiTed, and the axis thereof meafured feventeen thirtieth 

 parts of an inch, but the axis of that part which was extended to- 

 wards the objecl of vifion, was about half an inch in length. 



Tlic cavity, wherein the crylialline humour is included, was al- 

 mofi: two inclics diameter. The fubflance conflituting the furface of, 

 and furrounding that cavity, was lb compact and ftrong, that t 

 was fcarcely able to cut it with a very fliarp knife. 



Obl'erving this, I began to confider, whether the nature of this 

 filh did not require, that the fubftance inclofing the cryflalline hu- 

 mour, fliould be fo hard and Iblid , becaufe a Whale fometimes dives 

 to great depths in tlic ocean, and, as the fifli under confideration, 

 had run out the length of fourteen whale lines, each of wiiich is 



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