CHAPTER VIII. 
THE SPERM WHALE. 
Physeter siacrocephalus, Linn. (Plate xiv.1 
This, the largest of the toothed Cetaceans, is known to English and American 
whalemen as the Sperm "Whale, to the Germans as the Pottfisch, and to the French 
as the Cachalot. It widely differs from all others of its order, both in figure and 
habits. The fully matured animal equals, if it does not exceed, the -Bowhead, or 
Great Polar Whale, in magnitude and in commercial value. The adult female, how- 
ever, is only about one -third or one -fourth the size of the largest male. She is 
likewise more slender in form, and has an effeminate appearance. The time of gesta- 
tion is supposed to be ten months, and she seldom produces more than one young at 
a birth — never more than two — and these are brought forth at any time or place 
that nature may demand. The new-born cub is about one -fourth the length of the 
mother. It obtains its nourishment from two teats, situated one on each side of the 
vaginal opening. In giving suck, it is said the female reclines on her side, when 
the calf seizes the teat in the corner of its mouth, thereby giving the milk -food 
immediate passage to its throat. The length of time that the young follow the 
dam is not known. 
The largest males measure from eighty to eighty -four feet. The ponderous head 
is nearly one -third of the whole bulk of the animal, and over one quarter of its 
length. The opening of the mouth is about five -sixths the length of the head; the 
lower jaw, from the expansion of the condyles, contracts abruptly to a narrow sym- 
physis, and is studded on each side with twenty -two or twenty -four strong, sharp, 
and conical teeth, fitting to the furrow, or cavity, in the upper jaw, which is desti- 
tute of, or contains only rudimentary teeth. The tongue, which is usually of a 
whitish color, "is not capable of much protrusion." The throat, however, is large, 
and is said to be capacious enough to receive the body of a man. The eyes are 
placed a little above and behind the angle of the mouth. A few inches behind 
the eyes are the openings of the ears, which are not over one -fourth of an inch in 
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