410 THE WORLD OF THE SEA. 
sponding tusk, that is, the one in the under jaw, is never so much 
developed, and frequently remains hidden in the jaw. 
The narwhal is of a greyish white colour, with white spots 
which seem to penetrate the skin. In the stomach of one the 
arm of a cuttle-fish was found, and also pieces of'a flounder. 
Scoresby relates that during his voyage to Greenland he met a 
great number of these animals, which swam near the vessel in 
troops of fifteen or twenty. Most of them were males. They 
seemed very lively, and often lifted their weapons above the water 
and crossed them, as if presenting arms. They produced a most 
NARWHAL, 
(Monodon monoceros.) 
extraordinary noise, resembling the gurgling of water in the throat. 
Most of the troop followed the ship, and seemed led by curiosity. 
The water being transparent, they could be seen dipping down as 
low as the ship’s keel, and playing with the rudder. The nar- 
whal is hardly to be recognised in the passages in which Pliny 
describes the sea-unicorn. He attributes to it the head of a stag, 
the feet of an elephant, and the tail of a wild boar, all which, he 
adds, does not prevent its resembling a horse! Its horn, he says, 
is black, and springs from the middle of the forehead ! 
Some kinds of dolphins are eaten. What, indeed, is there that 
man does not eat? The smallest are reckoned the most delicate. 
