474 UNICORN NARWHAL. 



than twenty feet from the mouth to the tail ; and 

 is at once distinguishable from every other kind 

 of Whale by its very long, horn-like tooth, which 

 is perfectly strait, of a white or yellowish-white 

 colour, spirally wreathed throughout its whole 

 length, and gradually tapers to a sharp point. It 

 measures from six to nine or ten feet in length, 

 and proceeds from a socket on one side of the up- 

 per jaw, having a large cavity at its base or root, 

 running through the greater part of the whole 

 length. In the young animals, and occasionally 

 even in the full grown ones, more especially in 

 the males, there are two of these teeth, sometimes 

 nearly of equal length, and sometimes very unequal 

 in this respect : they are seated very close to each 

 other at the base, and as their direction is nearly 

 in a strait line, they diverge but little in their pro- 

 gress towards the extremities. The Narwhal is how- 

 ever far more frequently found with only a single 

 tooth, the socket of the other being either closed, 

 or but obscurely visible, and now and then the 

 appearance of a second tooth in an extremely small 

 state, or just beginning to emerge, is perceptible ; 

 as if intended by Nature to supply the place of 

 the other, in case of its being broken or cast. The 

 head of the Narwhal is short, and convex above ; 

 the mouth small ; the spiracle or breathing-hole 

 duplicated within ; the tongue long ; the pectoral 

 fins small ; the back finless, widish, convex, be- 

 coming gradually accuminated towards the tail, 

 which, as hi other Whales, is horizontal. The 



