CHAPTER IV. 



THE BEAKED WHALES AND THE NAR^A^HALS. 



THE FAMILY HYPEKOODONTID^— THE BEAKED WHALES — THE BOTTLE-NOSED WHALE — THE 

 XIPHIUS — THE FAMH,Y MONODONTID^ — THE NARWHAL — ITS EXTRAORDINARY HORN — CON- 

 JECTURES AS TO ITS USE — FABLES RESPECTING IT — MEDICINAL PROPERTIES ATTRIBUTED TO 

 IT — VALUE OF THE NARWHAL TO THE GREENLANDERS— SHIPS STRUCK BY IT. 



THE family Hyperoodontid^ consists of the Beaked Whales, 

 which have no permanent teeth in the upper jaw. It is divided 

 into nine genera or sub-genera, containing twelve species, nearly 

 equally distributed between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. 

 Most of the genera consist of only one species. 



GENUS HYPEROODON. 



The tzuo species embraced under this genus both inhabit the North 

 Seas. The best known representative is 



The Bottle-nosed Whale, Hypcroodon bidens, a powerfully-built 

 creature of twenty to twenty-six feet in length. The head is like that of 

 the dolphin, but the animal is longer, the body being thicker for the first 

 half of its length, narrow towards the tail. The eye is small, and just 

 behind the corner of the mouth ; the ear is scarcely noticeable behind 

 the eye ; the spout-hole lies between the eyes, and is crescent-shaped ; 

 the fore-part of the muzzle is prolonged so as to form a beak, the pec- 

 toral fins, springing from the anterior third of the body, are narrow and 

 abruptly rounded, the dorsal fin is small, low, and sickle-shaped, the tail 

 is divided into two pointed flaps. From the centre of the under-jaw 

 runs a short, deep fold of skin, the rest of the hide is smooth and shming, 

 and of a dark color, becoming black on the back. 



The Bottle-nosed Whales are confined to the Northern Arctic and 



