Whales as the Whalers Knew Them 165 



is thicker than the top of its head. As each whale 

 expels the air held in its lungs while under water, 

 a single vapory jet is spurted up and forward 

 at an angle of 45 degrees from the forward point 

 of the sperm whale's head; the right whale throws 

 up two jets from the back part of its head, the 

 spiracles, as the breathing holes are called, being 

 located nearly above the angle of its jaws. 



If the mouths of the two kinds of whales be 

 examined, most remarkable differences are found. 

 A single row of teeth is found on each side of 

 the long, narrow, lower jaw of the sperm whale, 

 the total number being from forty to fifty-six 

 in an adult. The largest of the teeth are nine or 

 ten inches long, and these weigh about a pound 

 and a half each. They are all pointed, and they 

 are placed far apart. There are no teeth in the 

 upper jaw. A hole is found in the upper jaw 

 opposite each tooth, and when the mouth is shut 

 the teeth set into these holes. The teeth are not 

 grinders; they merely serve to hold and break 

 apart the squirming food of these monsters, 

 which is to be described farther on. 



The right whale has no teeth. Affixed to its 



