HISTORY OF FISH, 161 



into a race of diminutive animals, from 30 to 80 

 feet long. 



The northern feas of Spitsbergen and Greenland 

 were once the region to which the largeft of theie 

 animals reforted; but ib great hath been the deftruc- 

 tion of whales fmce the reign of queen Elizabeth, 

 rhat they begin to grow thinner every year; and 

 thofe that are found there, feem, from their fize, 

 norcometo their full dimenfions. The grcateft 

 whales refort to places where they have the lead dif- 

 turbance ; to thofe feas that are on the oppofite fide 

 of the globe, near the fouth pole. In this part of 

 the world., there are dill to be feen whales 

 above 160 feet long; and perhaps even longer might 

 be found in thofe latitudes near the fouth pole, to 

 which we have not as yet ventured. 



Though this magnitude be wonderful, yet ftill 

 greater wonders may pofTibly be concealed in the 

 deep, v.hich we have not had opportunities of ex- 

 ploring. The whales are obliged to fhew themfelves 

 ki order to take breath ; but who knows the fize of 

 thofe animals that -are fitted to remain forever under 

 water, and that have been increafing in magnitude 

 for centuries ? 



We have feen that fifties of the cetaceous kind 

 bear a ftrong refemblance to quadrupeds in their 

 conformation ; thofe of the cartilaginous kinds are 

 more than one remove feparated from them ; they 

 form the fhade that completes the imperceptible 

 gradations of nature. 



Cartilaginous fifh may be divided, 



i. Into thofe of the (hark kind, comprehending 

 the great white fhark bafking fhark blue (hark 

 balance fi(h horned fi(h fmooth horned filh 

 monk fifh dog fifh cat fifh fea fox the zy< : ;;irn:i 

 the tope and the porbeagle. Thefe are all ot 

 the fame nature, and differ more in fize than in 

 figure or conformation. 



L 2. Flat 



