156 THE SPERMACETI WHALE. 



surgeon, and was, we presume, professionally em- 

 ployed, had no thought of publication, and therefore 

 overlooked many circumstances which would other- 

 wise have engaged his attention. But notmth- 

 standing this, he has judged vasely, we conceive, in. 

 complying with the request of his friends to furnish 

 such information as he liad ; and we caimot but 

 proffer him our best thanks, and warmly recommend 

 his little work to all who are curious in natural his- 

 tory. It will appear in the sequel that he supplies 

 by far the most copious and satisfactory information 

 on the subject. 



We take our description very much from that 

 afforded by Cuvier COss. Foss. v. 339). Externally, 

 according to the most authentic accounts, it is one 

 of the largest Cetacea, attaining the length of seventy 

 and eighty feet ; its head is very large in all dimen- 

 sions, and its length does not appear to have been 

 much exaggerated when stated to be about a third 

 of the whole body ; the snout is very obtuse, and 

 apparently truncated ; the lower jaw, very narrow, 

 is received between the upper lips as in a furrow, the 

 teeth entering, when the mouth is shut, into cavities 

 on the edge of the palate. The blow-hole, twelve 

 inches long, in form of an /, is on the anterior ex- 

 tremity of the head, in the centre of a round protu- 

 berance, which is formed of thick fibres, which act as 

 a sphincter. The pectorals are small and obtuse ; there 

 is a small dorsal protuberance only, far down the 

 back ; and sometimes two or three smaller ones ; 

 the tail is very large. The colour, above, is a blackish 



