ARCTIC ZOOLOGY. 105 



are always two of these teeth, but one only attains the 

 full growth, the matter of the smaller being absorbed during 

 the increase of the larger : hence the name of the animal 

 appears badly assigned. Diodon would evidently be more 

 appropriate. The males alone are furnished with this for- 

 midable weapon ; the females being destitute of it. The 

 monodon is a beautiful animal. The skin is white, and 

 elegantly mottled on the back and sides with black ; the 

 fins and tail are black. Like the whale, balaena mysticetus, 

 in general structure, its habits are friendly to that animal r 

 and they are frequently seen associated together. Their 

 food is similar ; and the only distinction from the character 

 of its enormous companion, as to habits, is that the mo- 

 nodon is gregarious. The usual size of the monodon is 

 fourteen feet, and sometimes a little more ; and the tooth or 

 horn is of an average length of seven feet. The mouth 

 is very small ; its greatest expansion being not more than 

 six inches. The tongue is very short, immoveable, and 

 placed very far behind. The passage to the stomach is 

 very small, not three inches over. 



When a number of these animals are together, they 

 divert themselves in playing, when, their teeth appearing 

 above the water, as if brandished about, have a singular 

 effect ; and the clattering noise they produce in this con- 

 fused gamboling, would lead an inattentive spectator to 

 suppose that some hostile proceeding was going forward, 



p 



