236 ANIMAL FORMS 



while the fore limbs are short and capable of being moved 

 only as a whole. External ears are also absent. The eyes 

 are exceedingly small, those of individuals attaining a length 

 of from fifty to eighty feet, being in some species, at least, 

 but little larger than those of an ox. These are often placed 

 at the corners of the mouth. The nasal openings, often 

 known as blow-holes, are situated on the forehead, and as 

 the whale comes to the surface for air afford an outlet for 

 the stream of breath and vapor often blown high in the 

 air a process known as spouting. In some of the whales, 

 such as the dolphin, porpqise, and sperm-whales, the teeth 

 persist throughout life, but in most of the larger species 

 they never " cut " the gum, but early disappear, and their 

 place is taken by large numbers of whalebone plates with 

 frayed edges which act as strainers. The smaller-toothed 

 forms (porpoises, dolphins, and several species of grampus) 

 are frequently seen close to the shore, where they are usu- 

 ally actively engaged in capturing fish. On the other hand, 

 the larger species, such as the humpback, right whale, and 

 sulfurbottom, not uncommon along our coasts, especially 

 to the northward, live on much smaller organisms. With 

 open mouth these whales swim through the water until 

 they collect a sufficient quantity of jelly-fishes, snails, and 

 Crustacea, then closing the mouth strain out the water 

 through the whalebone fringes and swallow the residue. 



As noted above, the animals of this order are almost 

 wholly devoid of hair, but the heat of the body is retained 

 by a thick layer of fat beneath the skin. This " blubber " 

 also gives lightness to the body (as do the voluminous lungs), 

 and, furthermore, yields large quantities of oil, which in 

 former times made " whale-fishing " a profitable industry. 

 The whales bear one, rarely two offspring, which are solicit- 

 ously attended by the mother for a long time. The smaller 

 species grow to a length of from five or eight feet (por- 

 poises, dolphins) to twice this size (grampuses) ; while the 

 larger whales, by far the largest of animals, range from 



