THE TRUE WHALES. 



159 



on the coast of Audierne, being stranded on the sands 

 towards Cape Estain. In 18.19 one of 63 feet in length 

 was killed in Whitstable Bay. According to Lowe, the 

 cachalot "is often driven ashore about the Orkneys, 

 nay, sometimes caught." 



The general colour of this species is grayish black 

 above, lighter beneath ; the eye is small, with a few stiff 

 hairs around. There is no dorsal fin, but a distinct pro- 

 tuberance ; the pectoral fins are small, and slightly 

 grooved longitudinally. Fig. 102 represents a portion 

 of the lower jaw, to show the teeth. Fig. 103, the skull 

 seen from below. Fig. 104, the back view of the skull, 

 showing its occipital elevation above the articulating 

 processes and foramen magnum (see also Fig 99). 



Family— BAL^NID^ (the true Whales). 



These animals equal the cachalot in size, but have the 

 head more proportionate to the bulk of the body, and 

 display a less clumsy contour. They are, moreover, 

 distinguished from all other Cetacea by the total absence 

 of teeth ; their place in the upper jaw, which is extremely 

 narrow, being supplied by pendent horny laminae, called 

 whalebone, or baleen. The palate of the whale is arched 

 and oval (see Fig. 105), and forms a vaulted roof to 

 which the plates of baleen are attached transversely, in 

 two rows, parallel to each other. Each plate consists 

 of a central coarse fibrous layer, lying between two 

 which are compact and externally polished, constituting 

 a sort of enamel or varnish ; but which outer layers do 

 not cover the internal or true baleen to its extreme free 

 edge : the latter, therefore, extends beyond the former, 

 and terminates in a fringe, in which are entangled the 

 small molluscous animals which constitute the food of 

 this huge animal. Each plate of baleen is of a subtrian- 

 gular figure, and its base, attached to the palate, has a 

 long furrow, fixed upon a pulp, buried deeply in the firm 

 vascular substance of the gum covering the under surface 

 of the maxillary and intermaxillary bones. The outer 

 layers, of compact matter, are continuous with a white 



