74 The American Angler 
that grows from the narrow roof of the 
mouth in thin plates, downwards 
outwards towards the 
jaws on each side. It is shredded 
out into fine hairs on the inner 
edge of the plates they. (the 
plates) number about 365. Their use 
in life is easily explained. The animal, 
and lower 
and 
when in search of food, opens its great 
mouth wide, and, swimming through 
dense schools of small mollusks and 
crustaceans, takes in tons of water as 
well, then closing its mouth, the water 
strains out through the hair-like inside 
of the whalebone and the solid matter 
left is promptly swallowed. 
This species, as well as all the rest of 
the whalebone whales, is entirely desti- 
tute of teeth. The sperm whale has 
teeth in the lower jaw only, and most 
of the smaller members of the group, 
the killers, dolphins, blackfish, etc., 
are well provided with plenty of teeth 
in both jaws. The structure of all the 
whales is modified to suit their mode of 
life. The blow holes or openings to 
the nose are situated directly on the 
top of the head so as to enable the ani- 
mal to breathe on just touching the 
surface. They are warm blooded and 
suckle their young after birth as do all 
land mammals. ‘The fore limbs are de- 
veloped as fins or flippers, while the 
hind ones are entirely wanting. The 
tail is broadly flattened until it re- 
sembles that of a fish, but is flattened 
horizontally instead of vertically, and 
is a very powerful propeller. The 
body is usually bulky and robust, but 
many members of the group are ex- 
ceedingly quick and active in the water. 
The spouting or blowing is caused by 
the expulsion of air and vapor, mingled 
with some water, from the lungs as the 
animal comes up to breathe, and the 
spouting of blood is a sure sign that 
the whale is mortally wounded and that 
the end of the chase is near. A strik- 
ing feature of all the whale family 






Cutting Blubber. 

is the extreme oiliness of every part of 
them, even the half inch thick skin of 
a large right whale being of a loose, 
spongy texture, and its tissues fully 
saturated with oil. The tongue is not 
