THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN. 185 



But no whaleman has witnessed a jet of water coming from 

 the spout-hole of a whale the very blood which clogs the 

 lungs after the death-thrust is blown into the air as a fiery 

 spray or mist. The nostril of the sperm-whale is a single 

 opening on the extreme end of the nose, and the breathing- 

 pipe passes the whole length of the case, parallel with the 

 great oil-sack, and through the base of the skull, into the 

 lungs, the length perhaps reaching thirty-two feet. 



The skin of the whale is not naked, as is generally sup- 

 posed ; for beneath the external pellicle, or varnish, termed 

 black skin, is a curdy deposit, which the day after the death 

 of the animal is easily scraped away, and reveals a close fur 

 about one-eighth of an inch long. This envelops the entire 

 external surface, and is rooted in the true skin, or blubber. 

 The flesh is a dark red, very firm, and of the texture of rope- 

 yarns tough as forecastle beef ; not toothsome, but fit for 

 food in a squeeze. The blood in heat reaches 104 Fahrenheit. 



The whales in general bring forth their young alive, 

 and suckle them by means of two abdominal mamma?. 

 They are gregarious in habit, and occur in large schools, 

 except the old males, which are often found alone. Their 

 ordinary rate of travel is about five miles an hour ; but 

 this the sperm-whale can increase to ten and twelve miles, 

 and in a short race perhaps' more. The period of gesta- 

 tion in the right whale seems pretty well established at 

 about nine or ten months, and we may suppose the same of 

 the sperm-whale ; yet every thing pertaining to this part of 

 natural history of this whale must remain a mystery to us. 

 The young have been taken from dead mothers, and ob- 

 servers represent them to be fourteen feet long. The milk 

 of the whale is white, fat, and thick. How long the young 

 remain with the mother is unknown, but it is observed that 

 the herd seem to have a watchful care over them until they 

 attain a considerable size. 



