VOYAGE TO SPITSBERGEN. 93 



little or no oil, but only a kind of milky fluid ; in 

 which case, when the animal is deprived of life, 

 the body sinks to the bottom, as also does the 

 blubber when separated from it ; while the body 

 and blubber of larger individuals always swim. 

 Though the preceding statement be exceedingly 

 near the truth, yet exceptions occur ; for I have 

 known a whale of 2| feet bone produce 10 tuns of 

 oil, and one of 12 feet bone estimated at only 

 9 tuns ; but such instances are much rarer than 

 to see one of 2| feet bone produce 4 or five tuns of 

 oil." 



The Balcena rnysticetus, according to Marten 

 and other North Sea voyagers, feeds chiefly upon 

 a species of vermes, called Clio limacina, or Sea 

 May Fly,* which are found in surprising num- 

 bers throughout the Arctic seas. According to 

 Fabricius, the principal food of the whale consists 

 of two different species of sea insects ;f while Lin- 

 naeus maintains that they live chiefly on the Medu- 

 sa capillata, or sea blubber. This last substance, 

 commonly called by Greenlandmen whale's meat, 

 assembles frog-spawn, and is frequently seen float- 

 ing on the surface of the Northern seas. 



Mr. Scoresby says, " that he has good reason to 



* Phipps, p. 195. 



f Cancer pedatns et oculatus. Faun. Groenl. p. 33. 



