CHAPTER XVII 



GIANTS OF THE DEEP 



Whilst pictorially the Whales, Porpoises, Dolphins and Bats 

 are unrepresented in this work, it would ill become us to conclude 

 The Book of the Animal Kingdom without devoting attention to 

 these Giants of the Deep and Mammals of the Air (Bats), for, of 

 course, all the animals mentioned are mammals, and justly entitled 

 to inclusion here. 



GREENLAND WHALE AND WHALES IN GENERAL.— Before pro- 

 ceeding to describe a few of the more remarkable species of Whales 

 and their relatives, the Porpoises and Dolphins, it will be as well 

 to consider the structure and mode of life of one of these mammalian 

 monarchs of the sea, and for this purpose we cannot do better than 

 choose the Greenland Whale, and follow its story as recorded by 

 Dr. Schmeil in his Textbook of Zoology. 



Whales are hairless, fish-like mammals which resort to an aquatic 

 life, and although regarded by many, if not most, people as fishes, 

 it will soon be apparent to the reader that the marine beasts we are 

 now about to deal with are maynmals of great usefulness and 

 immense interest. They do not possess any hind-legs, whilst the 

 fore-limbs are tin-like and the tail fin is horizontal, a feature of 

 importance that we shall find out at a later stage. 



The Greenland Whale inhabits the most northern portions of 

 both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, and its structure and mode 

 of life admirably suit it for an aquatic existence. Although not the 

 largest Whale — the giant Rorqual being its successful rival — the 

 species under review attains a length of from sixty to eighty feet, 

 and a weight of from 220,000 to 330,000 pounds, which Dr. Schmeil 

 compares to that of 150 to 200 strong oxen ! 



Among the members of this genus there exist not only the largest 

 of living mammals, but, with the exception of some of the enormous 

 land reptiles of the Secondary period, also of pre-existing times, the 

 terrestrial giants treated of in Chapter I sink into insignificance 

 when compared with the huge monsters now being considered. 



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