184 THE NARWHAL, OR SEA UNICORN. 



part of the whole length ; and behind it there is a 

 slight depression, which points out the line of sepa- 

 ration between the head and body. The forehead 

 rises suddenly, almost perpendicular from the mouth, 

 and then proceeds for a few inches in a horizontal 

 direction, when it becomes slightly elevated. On 

 this point the spiracle is situated ; it is directly over 

 the eye, and measures about four inches, by one and 

 a half. From the neck, the back swells gradually 

 to a few inches behind the pectoral fins, where it 

 is thickest. On the upper and lower parts, and on 

 each side, slight ridges may be seen, which give 

 to the body, especially towards the tail, somewhat 

 of a quadrangular form. The pectorals are re- 

 markably small for the size of the animal, elliptical 

 and somewhat curved, with their thickest edge 

 forwards. The tail is about twenty inches long and 

 about four feet broad. It has no dorsal fin ; but in 

 place of it, there is an irregular, sharp, fatty ridge, 

 two inches in height, extending between two and 

 three feet along the back, nearly mid-way between 

 the snout and tail. 



The prevailing colour of the Narwhal is blackish- 

 grey on the back, variegated with numerous darker 

 spots running into each other, and forming a dusky- 

 black surface ; with paler and more open spots of 

 grey on a white ground at the sides, which spots dis- 

 appear altogether on the belly. In old animals the 

 ground is wholly white or yellowish-white, with 

 dark-grey or blackish spots of different degrees of 

 intensity ; on the belly extremely faint and few, and 



