244 FAMILY CATODONTIDE ; SPERMACETI WHALE. 



The oil is separated by draining and squeezing ; and the sper- 

 maceti is purified by melting it in water. A similar oleaginous 

 substance exists in cavities placed along the back, and in other 

 parts of the body. The Spermaceti Whale is also furnished with 

 a layer of blubber, which yields a thinner and purer oil than 

 that of the Common Whale ; but its amount is less. Another 

 substance of some value is yielded by this animal, namely, 

 ambergris. This is a rather hard brittle matter of a gray colour, 

 having a peculiar odour, for which it is much esteemed by 

 some persons as an agreeable perfume ; it is formed by a 

 secretion within the intestines, and seems to be a product of 

 diseased action, occasioned by the accumulation of indigestible 

 substances. The Cachalot sometimes reaches the length of seventy 

 feet. It is a very powerful animal, and swims with considerable 

 rapidity ; and from the violence of its fury when attacked, it is 

 one of the most dangerous of the monsters of the deep, with 

 which the daring sailor is called upon to combat. Not only are 

 the strong whaling boats occasionally dashed to pieces by a 

 single blow of the tail, but even a ship of large size has had its 

 bottom stove in by a blow inflicted by the head of an infuriated 

 male Cachalot. The Spermaceti Whale is found in all seas ; but 

 is most abundant in those near the southern pole. It associates 

 in small parties, which usually consist of half-grown males, or of 

 females attended by their young, and guarded by one or two very 

 large males. When solitary Cachalots are observed, they inva- 

 riably prove to be aged males. The food of these gigantic 

 animals consists of fishes, cuttle-fish, &c. 



214. The family BAL^ENID^E, or Whalebone Whales,* contains 

 two genera, each including but one species; these are the Balcena, 

 or Greenland Whale^ and the Balcenoptera, or Rorqual. The 

 former is the one best known ; the latter is distinguished from 

 it by the slenderer form of the head, and by the presence of a 

 dorsal fin. In both there is an absence of teeth (although the 

 rudiments of them may be detected in each jaw), and the palate 

 is furnished with an apparatus for straining out the small 

 mollusks, minute fishes, and medusae, on which these huge 

 animals are supported. This consists of a series of plates of 



