380 CETACEA. 



fishes' teeth, not the horns of the unicorn. At present the only believers 

 in the medicinal properties of the horn are the Chinese and Japanese. 



The native Greenlanders hold the Narwhal in high estimation ; for, 

 independently of its value, it is welcomed on each succeeding year as the 

 harbinger of the Greenland whale. It is, moreover, of the greatest 

 service to the Greenlanders, for its long ivory tusk is admirably adapted 

 for the manufacture of various household implements and of spear- 

 heads, so that it is the sad fate of many a Narwhal to perish by means 

 of the tooth that has been extracted from its near kinsman. It is easily 

 killed, as it possesses no very great power of diving, and is soon tired 

 out by means of inflated buoys which are attached to the harpoon, and 

 offer a great resistance to the water. It seldom descends above two 

 hundred fathoms below the surface, and when it again rises, is so 

 fatigued that it is readily killed by a sharp spear. The oil which is 

 extracted from the blubber is very delicate, but is not present in very 

 great amount, as the coating of fatty substance is seldom more than 

 three inches in depth. About half a ton of oil is obtained from a large 

 specimen. The flesh is much prized by the natives, and is not only 

 eaten in its fresh state, but is carefully dried and prepared over the fire. 



The stories of the Narwhal destroying ships have some foundation in 

 the experience of later navigators. The force of the tusk is terrific when 

 urged with the impetus of the creature driving through the water at full 

 speed, for the whole combined power of the weight and velocity of the 

 animal is directed along the line of the tusk. A Narwhal has been 

 known to strike a ship on the quarter, and to drive its tusk through the 

 sheathing, and deeply into the timbers. The shock was probably fatal 

 to the assailant, for the tooth was snapped by the sudden blow, remain- 

 ing in the hole which it had made, and acting as a plug that effectually 

 prevented the water from gaining admission into the vessel. This the 

 author can verify from personal observation. 



