2i6 CETACEOUS FISHES. 



enormous gullet. Linnseus tells us that this fifli purfues and terrifies 

 dolphins and porpefTes fo much, as often to drive them on (here. 



It furnifhes two very precious drugs j fpermaceti, and, fomc fay, am- 

 bergrife. The capture of this animal, that alone fupplies them, there- 

 fore turns out very advantageous, particularly fince the art has been 

 found out of converting all the oil of this animal, as well as the brain, 

 into that fubftance called fpermaceti. This fubllance is found in the 

 head of the animal, and is the brain. The outward flcin of the head be- 

 ing taken off, a covering of fat offers, about three inches thick ; and un- 

 der that, inftead of a bony fkull, the animal has only another thick flcin, 

 that ferves for a covering and defence of the brain. The firft cavity, or 

 chamber, of the brain, is filled with that fpermaceti which is fuppofed 

 of the greateft purity and higheft value. From this cavity there are ge- 

 nerally drawn about feven barrels of the cleared fpermaceti; that thrown 

 upon water coagulates like cheefe. Below this there is another chamber 

 juft over the gullet, which is about feven feet high ; and this alfo contair>s 

 the drug, but of lefs value. It is diftributed in this cavity like honey 

 in a hive, in fmall cells, feparated from each other by a membrane like 

 the inner Ikin of an egg. In proportion as the oily fubftance is drawn 

 a>/ay from this part, it fills anew from every part of the body : and from 

 this is generally obtained about nine barrels of oil. Befides this, the 

 fpinal marrow, which is about as thick as a man's thigh, and reaches all 

 along the back-bone to the tail, where it is not thicker than one's finger, 

 affords no inconfiderablc quantity. 



Ambergrife, which is faid to be fometimes found in this whale, was 

 long confidered as a fubftance found floating on the furface of the fea; 

 but time has difcovered that it chiefly belongs to this animal ; is found 

 in the place where the feminal veffels are ufually fituated in other animals, 

 in a bag of three or four feet long, in round lumps, from one to twenty 

 pounds weight, floating in a fluid rather thinner than oil, and of a yel- 

 lowilh colour. There are never feen more than four at a time in one of 

 thefe bags ; and that which weighed twenty pounds, and which was the 

 largeft ever feenj'^was found fingle. Thefe balls are not found in aU 

 fifties of this kind, but chiefly in the oldeft and ftrongeft. 



THE 



