THE SPERMACETI WHALE. J59 



The opening to the ear, he states, is of sufficient 

 size to admit a small quill. The throat is capacious 

 enough to give passage to the body of a man, in this 

 respect presenting a strong contrast to the contracted 

 gullet of the Greenland whale. According to Mr. 

 Beale, the peculiarity of the sperm whale, which 

 strikes every beholder, is the unwieldy bulk of the 

 head : but this, instead of being an impediment, 

 is conducive to its lightness and agility, for the 

 greatest part of it containing oil, which is lighter 

 than water, gives the head a tendency to rise so 

 far above the surface as to elevate tbe blow-hole for 

 the purpose of respiration ; and should the animal 

 wish to increase its speed to the utmost, the narrow 

 lower part of the head, which bears some resem- 

 blance to the cut-water of a ship, is the only part 

 exposed to the pressure of the water in front, thus 

 enabling it to pass with the greatest velocity and 

 ease through the ocean. 



One of the characteristics we have mentioned 

 as generally stated, is, that the teeth are confined to 

 the lower jaw ; and this as a popular character is 

 a very good one. Literally speaking, however, it is 

 not accurately true. Teeth in the upper jaw have 

 been seen and described by Fabricius, and they 

 are also mentioned by the Abbe Lecoz and by An- 

 derson : they are, however, wholly rudimentary, are 

 hidden under the jaws, and can scarcely therefore be 

 used by the animal. 



Mr. Beale's observations on the swimming of this 

 whale are curious : he states that when undisturbed 



