Right Whale 
top of the head, and forms the well-known ‘‘spout” of the 
whale. This is quite a mistake, however, as the spout is simply 
the discharge of air from the lungs when the animal rises to the 

Longitudinal section through head of whale, showing position of 
whalebone and nasal opening. (After Lydekker.) 
surface to take a new breath, and the watery appearance of the 
spout is due to the condensation of moisture in the discharged 
breath and also to the fact that some water is thrown up if 

Skeleton of whale (Balena), showing contour of body, (After Lydekker.) 
the breath is expelled before the whale quite reaches the surface. 
We have three quite different types of whalebone whales on 
our coast, and from one to three species of each. 
Right Whale 
Balaena glactalis Bonnaterre 
Length. 50 to 60 feet. 
Description. Head enormous, equal to one-third of the total 
length; highly arched above the level of the back; mouth 
cavity consequently large and whalebone very long. Bones 
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