////: 



\\n.\u:. 



there i.s :i rathei l.u..- hump, nfcfc !> Elm ibnq ' , In front and ta]*en . KMU.,!,;- kOH lid - 

 tail. Tin- color of the Cachalot i- a blacki-h liray. somewluit tinged with green ii]iuii tin- upi--i 

 lortions of tin- ltod\ . Around tin- i yen und on the alMlotn<*ii it i.s of u grn\ i-h \\ hit*-. 



Tin- -P.-.-I.-- is chietly notable on account of the valuable -ul^i.in.-.-> \\liicli are obtained 

 fnuii it- !MK|\. iiirlinliiiir <-il a:nl s]>eniiaceti. Th oil Is ol>t;iiiu-il fnnn tin- l>lul)lxT, \\liicli in 

 not \i-ry thick in tlii- animal. IMMII.I,' only fourteen inches in dt-jith on (In- lnva>l ami .l.-\.n 

 inc'hfx on tli- othiT |.;nt-> of tin- |MH!\. ami in therefore not no alnimlaiit in iii-ojortioii i tin- 

 size of tht- animal iw that which i.s extracted from the <in><>nland \\'lial.-. li- -u|>- -rioi quality. 

 linu.-.-r. c< ni|-nsatea fully for its deficiency in quantity. The layer of blultU'i- is by the 



8PKRUACETI WHALK.-f 



whalers technically called the "blanket," probably in allusion to its office in preserving the 

 anima! heat. 



The spermaceti is almost peculiar to a few species of the genus Catodon, and is obtained 



as follows. 



The enormous and curiously formed head is the great receptacle of the spermaceti, which 

 lies in a liquid, oily -tat.-, in TWO LT.MI cavities jhat .-\ist in the hnir' m:i-s of t.-tnlinons 

 substance of which the head is chiefly composed. On reference to the skull of the Cachal 

 the reader will observe that iT dips suddenly over the eyes, and then i- j^n-atly prolonged. 

 This jMirtioii of th- skull is terni-d Neptune's ,-liair l>y the sailo?--. and it is in Neptune's .'hair 

 that the s|M>rniac.-ti i> pluce.1. When the \Vhale is killed and tnM.-d t<> the ship's sj,|e. the 

 head I- cut off and atlixed to tackles for the purpose of sup|xirtinir it in a convenient |.sjtion 

 for the extraction of this valuable sul.-taii.-e. A laiLre hole is cut in the top of the head, and a 

 number of sailors lower their buckets into the cavity and bale out the liquid matter. 



XVh.'ii tir-t e\|M)--d to the air it has a clear, oily np|iearance. I.iit after it has l*-ei) sub- 

 jected to the action of the atmosphere for a few hour-, the -]--iina<-..ti IK-ITJII- to serrate it--lf 



