36 THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



called Ambergris- is obtain'ed ; it is valued as a perfume, 

 and is sometimes found floating in large lumps on the 

 seas near the South Pole, which these creatures most fre- 

 quent. The spermaceti whale is also provided with a 

 layer of blubber, which yields less oil than that of the 

 common whale, but its quality is thinner and purer. 



The Greenland, or Whalebone Whale is the best known 

 to us. This species has not any teeth, and the mouth is 

 furnished with a heavy fringe called whalebone, which 

 acts as a strainer. As the whale swims along with its 

 immense mouth open and this sieve hanging down, the 

 water passes in between the fibres, carrying with it 

 quantities of very small marine animals, but keeping out 

 all larger ones, the swallow not being large enough to admit 

 even small fish. Now you must know that the nostrils of 

 the Whale are placed at the top of his head, so that he is 

 able to breathe the moment he reaches the surface of the 

 water ; and for this purpose he rises generally every eight 

 or ten minutes, though he can remain under the water for 

 more than half an hour, and when he thus breathes through 

 his nostrils he blows out a quantity of water which had 

 entered at the mouth ; this process is called spouting. The 

 blubber of whales has already been mentioned. In this 

 species it is from one to two feet thick, and is not only of 

 value to us, but to the natives of the polar regions it is 

 more important still, as, indeed, arc almost all the parts of 

 the huge body. They eat the flesh and drink its oil ; and, 

 unsavoury as such food may appear to us, we must remem- 

 ber that in those climates there arc but few other animals 

 which can be eaten, and that this fat is of that species of 

 food called " heat-givers," and hence, is absolutely needful 

 in keeping up the proper warmth of the body. The an- 

 nexed engraving (Fig. 12) will show you how the whale- 

 bone is placed in the skull of the animal, and you will also 

 notice the utter absence of teeth. 



