THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN. 85 



erally allowed to sink at once (save when teeth are needed to 

 furnish ivory for "skrimshoning," or to trade with the islands). 

 By reference to Fig. 3, page 168, a general idea of the parts 

 may be obtained. The upper part of the head, a, is term- 

 ed the case; between this and the skull-bone is the great 

 wedge-shaped mass, b. This is the junk; deforms the re- 

 jected part; and in this figure the spiral cuts of the blanket 

 are shown. The junk is first hauled in bodily, and thence 

 aft out of the way until the case is bailed. This mass is 

 surrounded, as is the entire head on the outside, by the 

 tough, almost impenetrable white horse, several inches in 

 thickness, which proves a secure armor against the harpoon. 

 Its interior consists of a cellular formation, the walls of the 

 cells running vertically and transversely, varying in thick- 

 ness from a half-inch to two inches, and being formed of the 

 same closely interlaced fibres of beautiful satin lustre and 

 alabaster whiteness that constitute the white horse of the 

 external head. The cells are of varying size, generally about 

 four to eight inches between the separating layers of white 

 horse, and are filled with an oily substance of a faint yel- 

 lowish tint, translucent when warm, and rivaling in delicacy 

 of flesh the interior of the ripest water-melon. The clear 

 sweet oil follows every cut which is made into it. The oil- 

 bearing flesh forms about one third of the mass, and in a 

 large whale has yielded twenty-eight barrels equal to three 

 and a half tons. This would make such a junk about ten 

 and a half tons' weight. 



The case has, besides the respiratory canal (which is 

 about twelve inches in diameter), a cavity about twenty feet 

 in depth, filled with oil, which we bail out with buckets. 

 To this end the iron hooks are again attached to the cut- 

 ting-in tackles, and are inserted in the white horse of 

 the sides. The end of the case is then hauled up to keep 

 the seas from reaching the opening made in it for bailing. 



