72 COMPARATIVE ANATOMY 



which were stranded in Brittany in 1812 ; nor in 

 a rorqual, fifty-eight feet long, examined near 

 Rochefort by M. Souty; and the same is true 

 of a nartvlial and dolphin, we have had an op- 

 portunity of examining. The internal ear is quite 

 as peculiar, in that it is scooped out of a particular 

 bone forming no portion of the usual cranial bones, 

 and is attached to them only by ligaments. In 

 several of the order, the eustachian tube opens high 

 up in the blowing canal, answering, as we have 

 seen, to the nose; and through this it evidently 

 must be that the animal hears any sound that is 

 communicated through the air : it is with this tube 

 also that these cavities communicate, in which it is 

 alleged that the nerves of smelling are situated ; so 

 that it is with some show of truth that it has been 

 stated of the genera so organized, that they hear 

 by the nose and smell by the ear. Tiedemann re- 

 marks, regarding the dolphin, " perhaps the most 

 remarkable nerve for its great relative size is the 

 acoustic, which testifies to the delicate sense of 

 hearing in it." 



The two remaining senses, taste and touch, seem 

 to be possessed by the Cetacea in a very inferior 

 degree, and concerning these we shall not now stop 

 to make any observations. 



The mental faculties of the Cete, so far as ob- 

 servations have been made on this very obscure 

 point, appear to vary greatly in the different genera ; 

 for which reason we shall reserve all remarks on 

 this subject till we come to treat of the different 



