OF THE CETACEA. 



medium of air, could be of no service when feed- 

 ing in the depths of the ocean. These are some of 

 the interesting questions that occurred to the mind 

 of J. Hunter, and on which he dwells ; though we 

 cannot say that even his ingenuity has settled them. 

 Lesson states that the olfactory nerve is wholly 

 absent in the sperm whale (17) ; and Mr. Knox, in 

 his account of the great rorqual, states, that this 

 nerve is large. The prevailing opinion, therefore, 

 now is, that the sense of smell is possessed by 

 the true whales and the rorquals, and is wanting in 

 all the rest. (See Diet. Class. d'Hist. Nat. Art. 

 Baleine.) We much doubt, however, if this should 

 be regarded in any other light than an approxima- 

 tion to the truth. 



The organ of vision in the Cetacea appears usually 

 to be very small, in relation to the size of the animal ; 

 Cuvier has made this remark with regard to all 

 large animals, and especially the Cetacea. Notwith- 

 standing the enormous bulk of the larger whales, 

 their eye is stated not to exceed in size that of an ox. 

 (See Arct. Reg. i. 456). In the beluga examined by 

 Dr. Barclay, which measured between thirteen and 

 fourteen feet, the eye is stated to be not so large as 

 in man ( Wern. Trans, iii. 393) ; and as it regards 

 the porpoise, Tyson states, that it is not so large as 

 the sheep's (199). In some species again, it appears 

 to be proportionably larger. Thus Quoy and Gai- 

 mard state, that in the rorqual which they examined 

 in the Falkland islands, about fifty-five feet long, the 

 eye was five inches in the long diameter and four 



