EXPLANATION OF PLATE VIII. 



Fig. 1st. Common Seal, or Sea-Dog, Phoca vitulina. It has five or six rows 

 of white whiskers, short fore feet, with webbed toes, serving as oars 

 for swimming, but upon land only available for creeping or shuffling 

 along as it comes out to bask in the sun. The hind feet have short 

 flattened claws, of which the three middle ones are smallest, giving the 

 feet a forked appearance. 



Fig. 2d. Manatee, Sea Cow, Siren, or Mermaid of the ancients, Manatus 

 Americanus. The nostrils are in the skin, near the end of the muzzle. 

 It has flippers or pectoral fins, or fin-like forearms, having their five fin- 

 gers enveloped in a membrane or skin, with nails, or rudiments of nails, 

 which terminate four of the fingers. 



Fig. 3d. Sperm- Whale, Physeter, or Cachalot macrocephalus. The head 

 forms one-third of its bulk ; the nostril, spiracle, or spout-hole, is a slit 

 a foot long and shaped like the letter /. The case above the brain con- 

 tains the sperm oil. In a large whale the cavity will contain a tun, or 

 more than ten barrels. The portion just above the mouth, called the 

 Junk, is formed of elastic, strong fibres, permeated with fine sperm oil 

 and spermaceti. The eyes are small, and the two are said to be unequal in 

 size. The ear-openings are behind the eyes, and only large enough to 

 admit a small quill. On the neck is the Bunch, (Bunch of the neck,) 

 and on the back the Hump. Although this animal is of enormous size, 

 the Small, near the Flukes or Tail is not thicker than a man's body. 



Fig. 4th. The True Dolphin of the ancients, Delphinus delphis, has a spira- 

 cle or blow-hole on the summit of the head, above the eyes, which are 

 small and low down, near the angle of the mouth. The beak is of the 

 same length as the head, with from forty to forty-eight teeth on each 

 side, above and below, interlocking with each other. The swimming paws 

 are placed low and half way between the end of the beak and the dor- 

 sal eminence. 



