THE SPERM WHALE. 369 



cated neaa is as thick as the body, and passes into it without any exter- 

 nal marks of separation. The pectoral fins are close behind the eye, and 

 are marked on the upper surface by folds which indicate the five fingers ; 

 the tail is deeply indented. The blow-hole, an aperture almost in the 

 shape of a capital S, is placed at the extremity of the snout, and occupies, 

 therefore, the position of the nostrils in terrestrial animals. The mouth 

 is huge, the jaw opening back almost to the eye. The under-jaw is 

 narrow, and shorter than the upper, and possesses heavy and strong 

 teeth which vary considerably in number in the specimens that have 

 been examined ; the average in the adults is about fifty-two. In the 

 upper-jaw we find a series of conical cavities in which the teeth of the 

 lower-jaw fit, and near them, or sometimes even in these depressions, a 

 series of rudimentary teeth is detected. The teeth of the Sperm Whale 

 are, for us, merely curiosities, but in the South Sea Islands they are 

 articles of the highest value, being thought worthy of dedication to the 

 idol deities, or at least placed as rare ornaments in the king's house. So 

 great is the conventional value of these teeth, that several wars have 

 arisen from the possession of a whale's tooth by an inferior and unfortu- 

 nate chief who had discovered the rarity and meant to keep it. 



The partly-hidden teeth of the upper-jaw are about three inches in 

 length, but they hardly project more than half an inch through the soft 

 parts in which they are imbedded. In preparing the skull of the Sper- 

 maceti Whale these teeth are apt to fall out together with the softer 

 parts, as their attachment to the jawbone is very slight. Eight of these 

 teeth have been found on each side of the jaw. 



The enormous head is divided by a perpendicular wall into two 

 chambers, which connect by several openings. The whole space is full 

 of a liquid, oily substance, the so-called "spermaceti," which is also 

 found in a canal running from the head to the tail, and in many small 

 cavities scattered in the blubber, the bulk, however, being in the head. 

 When the whale is killed, the head is cut off, a large hole cut in the top 

 of it, and the liquid is baled out in buckets. It is then clear and oily, 

 but after a few hours exposure to the air the spermaceti begins to sepa- 

 rate, and is soon firm enough to be removed, and put in a different 

 vessel. To' prepare it for commercial purposes, a long process is 

 required ; it is melted several times, treated with a solution of potassa, 

 and boiled in alcohol. It is then deposited in laminated crystals of a 

 pearly-white hue. The amount of this substance obtained from a single 

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