ZOOLOGY. — BAL^IJA MYSTICETUS. 463 



The flesh of the young whale is of a "red colour ; 

 and when cleared of fat, broiled, and seasoned with 

 pepper and salt, does not eat unlike coarse beef; that 

 of the old whale approaches to black, and is exceed- 

 ingly coarse. An immense bed of muscles surround- 

 ing the body, is appropriated chiefly to the move- 

 ments of the tail. The tail consists principally of 

 two reticulated beds of sinewy fibres, compactly in- 

 terwoven, and containing very little oil. In the 

 central bed the fibres run in all directions ; in the 

 other, which encompasses the central one in a thin- 

 ner stratum, they are arranged in regular order. 

 Tliese substances are extensively used, particularly 

 in Holland, in the manufacture of glue. 



Most of the bones of the whale are very porous, and 

 contain large quantities of fine oil. The jaw-bones, 

 which measure twenty to twenty-five feet in length, 

 are often taken care of, principally on account of the 

 oil that drains out of them, when they come into a 

 warm climate. When exhausted of oil, they readi- 

 ly swim in water. The external surface of the most 

 porous bones, is compact and hard. The ribs are 

 pretty nearly solid ; but the crown-bone is almost as 

 much honeycombed as the jaw-bones. The number of 

 ribs, according to Sir Charles Giesecke, is thirteen 

 on each side. The bones of the fins are analogous, 

 both in proportion and number, to those of the fingers 

 of the human hand. From this peculiarity of struc- 

 ture, the fins have been denominated bv Dr Flem- 



