246 THE MAMMALIA. 



7. THE CETACEA, OR WHALES. 



Up to about the year 1840, our scientific 

 knowledge of the larger Whales was based almost 

 exclusively upon the dissection of a few stranded 

 animals made in most cases in a very superficial 

 manner. Skeletons of the animals could, of course, 

 be procured, and some complete specimens had been 

 set up in some of the museums. Their ribs, lower 

 jaws, and vertebrae had also been collected, and, 

 like the bones belonging to fossil elephants, were 

 chained to town-halls and churches, where they 

 were gazed at as the remains of giants, and pro- 

 bably also (as was the case with a mammoth's 

 thigh bone in Spain) were worshipped as the 

 reliques of saints of giant stature. 



Owing to this manner of acquiring scientific 

 material, a fatal confusion had arisen in the names 

 given. It was about this time that Eschricht, 

 professor of physiology in Copenhagen, applied the 

 well-known lines ' If thou the poet would'st under- 

 stand, Then must thou go to the poet's land,' 

 to the Cetaceans. He did not visit them himself, 

 it is true, but his friend Holboll, who was for many 

 years inspector of the Danish colonies in Green- 

 land, undertook, at Eschricht 's request, to make 



