C E T O L O G Y. 



PLATK 

 CXXXIII 

 Fig. J. 



Otology, view ; and in some, as the jaw and ribs, easily loosened) 

 *" "Y" 1 "'*' and rendered extremely obvioui by maceration. None 

 of the bones have any medullary cavity. Though 

 the neck in these animals appears extremely short 

 externally, that part of the skeleton is composed of the 

 same number of bones as in quadrupeds, namely seven ; 

 though in some of them, as the dolphin and porpeste, 

 the two next the head, and in others, as the several 

 species of physeler, the six last, or sacral vertebra, 

 are united or anchylosed. Thus in the two former 

 species, there can be no rotatory motion between the 

 head and neck ; and in the phi/seter tribe, the mo- 

 tions of the head must be exceedingly obscure. The 

 number of joints composing the back differs consi- 

 derably in these animals. Some, as the dolphin and 

 porpesse, have thirteen; others, aa the pi/ccd-whale, 

 only twelve. The number of ribs also varies, de- 

 pending on that of the dorsal vertebra;. In some 

 species Mr John Hunter distinguished eighteen ribs 

 on each side; while in some spermaceti whales, thrown 

 ashore on the coast of France, there were only eight 

 ribs on a side. 



There is no pelvis in the skeleton of these animals, 

 and it is therefore impossible to distinguish the lum- 

 bar vertebra: from those of the coccyx or tail. In 

 many species, these sacral or posterior vertebrae are 

 very numerous. Thus, in the dolphin and porpesse, 

 they exceed fifty. The most remarkable part of the 

 skeleton of cetaceous animals is, the atlantal extre- 

 mities or swimming paws, whose bones in number 

 and articulation nearly resemble those of man. We 

 can clearly distinguish a scapula or blade bone, an 

 hitmerus or shoulder-bone, two bones sinu'lar to those 

 of the fore-arm, and a hand consisting of five fingers. 

 All these bones are, however, much flattened, arid 

 susceptible of but little motion on each other; though 

 they are so connected by means of cartilage, that the 

 whole number possesses considerable pliability and 

 power of general motion. 



The flesh which covers the skeleton is of a red co- 

 lour, and nearly resembles that of the horse and com. 

 It is in general hard, firm, dry, and tendinous. The 

 muscles of these animals soon lose their fibrous tex- 

 ture after death, speedily running into putrefaction ; 

 though this change is apparent, more from the change 

 of texture, than from the disagreeable odour which 

 the flesh exhales. The most remarkable part of the 

 muscular system is that which gives motion to the 

 tail. This organ is composed of two oval lobes, 

 formed of three layers of tendinous fibres, of which 

 the two external or peripheral layers have a direction 

 similar to that of the lobes, and are crossed by those 

 of the internal or central layers. By means of this 

 structure, the tail in these animals is susceptible of 

 very extensive and rapid motion, and not only serves 

 the purpose of a fin, to impel the animal forwards, 

 but furnishes him with a most formidable and effec- 

 tual offensive weapon. Indeed the force of the tail, 

 in the larger species, where it sometimes measures 

 above 20 feet from the tip of one lobe to that of the 

 other, is so great, that a single stroke with it, well 

 aimed, is sufficient to cut a boat in two, or sink it to 

 the bottom. 



When we consider the enormous bulk of some 

 species of whales, we shall be surprised at the celeri- 

 ty with which they make way through the water. 

 It is computed by the French naturalists, that some 



ilusclc*. 



Pail. 



Kg. S. 



Velocity of 

 their mo- 

 tion. 



Ker , -. 



External 

 teases. 





of them are capable of rushing through S3 feet in a Crtotogy 

 second of time, and that, supposing them to move '""" ~~~ 

 with a uniform and uninterrupted motion, 23 days 

 would be sufficient for enabling them to circumnavi- 

 gate the globe. 



SECT. II. Of Sensation. 



The brain in these animals hat pretty much the Drain, 

 same structure as that of quadrupeds, though in most 

 of the species it is very small in proportion to the 

 size of the animal, and especially that of the head. 

 It is proportionally largest in the porpeise, and 

 smallest in the great spermaceti whale. Its substance 

 is compact, and more visibly fibrous than perhap* in 

 any other animal. The distinction between cortical 

 and medullary matter in well marked, and of these 

 the latter is very white. The lateral ventricle* and 

 thalami of the optic nerves are large ; the corpora 

 striata, small. The medulla oblongata is in general 

 extremely small, when compared with the rest of the 

 encephalon, especially in the dolphin, where the latter 

 is to the former as 15 to 1. The spinal marrow is 

 comparatively small, though in some species, as the 

 large spermaceti -whale, it is proportionally very large. 

 In structure it agrees with that of quadrupeds. 



The nerves of CETACEA differ little from those of 

 other MAMMALIA, except that the olfactory nerves are 

 wanting, and their office seems to be supplied by the 

 first branch of ihejifth pair. 



It is probable that these animals possess none of 

 the external senses in any exquisite degree, except 

 that of sight. In many, it would seem as if the sense 

 of smelling were entirely wanting ; and by reason of 

 their defect in external auditory organs, their hearing 

 cannot be acute. 



It does not appear that these animals possess any 

 particular organ of feeling; for though the swimming 

 paws are composed of a great number of separate 

 bones, these are neither so delicate, nor so moveablc, 

 as to enable the animal to employ those members in 

 the way of fingers, though they are often used as a 

 hand or arm to support and protect their young. It 

 is in the skin, therefore, that covers the general sur- 

 face of the body, that the sense of touch of which 

 these animals are capable seems to reside ; and from 

 the numerous papilla; which cover the whole periphe- 

 ral surface of the skin, it is probable that they pos- 

 sess the sense of feeling, in no small degree, espe- 

 cially considering the element in which they live. 



From the size, softness, and humidity of the tongue Tasting 

 in these animals, we may'suppose that they are by no 

 means defective in tasting, though this is a point that 

 must rest entirely on conjecture. The organs that 

 appear subservient to this and the former sense, as 

 they are certainly better adapted for other purposes 

 in the economy of these animals, will be considered 

 more at large in future sections. 



Though there be no distinguishable organ of smel~ Smelling. 

 ling in the CETACEA, it is thought by some natural- 

 ists, that the sense of smelling is by no means want- 

 ing in these animals ; and this seems to be confirmed 

 by an anecdote related by La C6pede. 



It appears pretty certain that these animals per- Hearing, 

 ceive sounds, even though weak, at a considerable 

 distance. The internal structure of their organs of 

 hearing is by no means ill calculated for receiving im- 



