CETACEA. MAMMALIA. 



197 



six hundred and fifty vessels, tonnage two hundred 

 thousand tons, and manned by seventeen thousand five 

 hundred men. In 1848 the number was slightly under 

 this estimate, though including one-tenth of the entire 

 shipping of the United States. The social importance 

 of this fishery will be at once appreciated, when it is 

 stated that, about twenty years ago, it was estimated 

 that as many as seventy thousand persons in the United 

 States derived their chief employment and subsistence, 

 in one way or another, from the whale fisheries ; and 

 the number so deeply interested in them must be even 

 greater at present. Other countries, besides Britain 

 and America, have but a small share of these profits : 

 some sixty or seventy vessels from French, German, 

 and Danish ports, make up the number of whalers. It 

 must not be forgotten, however, that the indefatigable 

 Hollanders had at one time a lion's share of the whole 

 fishery to themselves as long ago as 1680 there were 

 fully two hundred and sixty ships, and fourteen thou- 

 sand Dutchmen employed in the trade nor that the 

 first professional whalemen and original harpooners 

 were Biscayans." 



We have thus diverted somewhat from the im- 

 mediate subject-matter of our description, in order 

 to convey some adequate idea of the immense quan- 

 tities of oil yielded by the Cetacea, which in pro- 

 portion to the blubber itself, is as three to four. Most 

 of the oil is derived from this source, but it should 

 also be mentioned that the cellular tissue of the tongue 

 and the interior of the large bones, especially those of 

 the lower jaw, likewise contain a large quantity of oil. 

 The fatty matter termed spermaceti, which is found 

 only in a particular group of whales, is derived chiefly 

 from the head of these animals. According to John 

 Hunter, " the purest spermaceti is in the smallest and 

 least ligamentous cells ; it lies above the nostril, all along 

 the upper part of the head, immediately under the skin 

 and adipose membrane. These cells resemble those 

 which contain the common fat in the other parts of the 

 body nearest the skin. That which lies above the roof 

 of the mouth, or between it and the nostril, is more 

 intermixed with a ligamentous cellular membrane, and 

 lies in chambers whose partitions are perpendicular. 

 These chambers are smaller the nearer to the nose, 

 becoming larger and larger towards the back part of the 

 head, where the spermaceti is more pure. This sper- 

 maceti, when extracted cold, had a good deal the 

 appearance of the internal structure of a water melon, 

 and is found in rather solid lumps." Chemically speak- 

 ing, it closely resembles the substance termed choles- 

 terine, and like it, after being melted, concretes into 

 thin crystalline laminte of a silvery hue and peculiar 

 greasy feel. In addition to these matters there is yet 

 another substance found in the intestines of Cetacea, 

 which, though not much sought after, is nevertheless 

 of considerable value. This is ambergris. It is a 

 concretionary formation, of a mottled, greyish colour ; 

 and when split open, it is found to contain a large num- 

 ber of the horny beak-like processes of cuttle-fishes, 

 derived from the cephalopodous molluscs, on which the 

 spermaceti whales delight to feed. It has a peculiar 



strong, diffusible odour, and when pure is soft and 

 waxy on section ; chemically speaking, it consists of a 

 fatty substance or principle termed ambreine. Amber- 

 gris is used to impart an agreeable flavour to certain 

 wines, and one or two grains, mixed and triturated with 

 sugar, is sufficient to flavour a hogshead of claret. 



The special organs of sense in Cetacea are constructed 

 on the same plan as those of terrestrial quadrupeds, 

 but, nevertheless, exhibit several peculiarities adapted 

 to their aquatic habits. These are particularly notice- 

 able in the organs of hearing and vision. Externally 

 there is no auricular appendage, and the meatus audi- 

 torius is only represented by a very small aperture, 

 scarcely large enough to admit the introduction of a 

 small crow-quill. Internally, the essential part of 

 the auditory apparatus, including the ossicles, are 

 invested by an osseous framework distinct from the 

 ordinary bones of the cranium which inclose the 

 organs of hearing in other Mammalia. The osseous 

 capsule consists of two distinct portions inclosing the 

 labyrinth and tympanum. The tympanic bone is 

 particularly hard, and very largely developed, having 

 commonly a more or less kidney-shaped outline. This 

 part is usually called the ear-bone, and owing to its 

 density and power of resisting decay and disintegration, 

 we find it very perfectly preserved in the tertiary 

 marine deposits along the Suffolk coast, where multi- 

 tudes of them are found associated with other water- 

 worn osseous fragments in the phosphatic pseudo- 

 coprolitic beds. Some specimens in our possession, 

 evidently belonging to a species of porpoise, are very 

 highly silicified, the petrous or labyrinthic bone remain- 

 ing in situ, and displaying very clearly the spiral 

 groove of the cochlea and the semicircular canals. As 

 to the capacity of hearing enjoyed by Cetacea, much 

 difference of opinion exists the excellent authority, 

 Scoresby, averring that they are not roused even by 

 the report of a cannon; whilst others, who have also 

 been engaged in whale-fishery expeditions, state that 

 their powers both of hearing and vision are sufficiently 

 acute to render the approach of the harpoonerb at all 

 times difficult and sometimes unsuccessful. The eye 

 is chiefly remarkable for the great thickness of its 

 external or sclerotic coat, an arrangement calculated to 

 maintain in its integrity the ellipsoid form of the crys- 

 talline lens and vitreous humour, which would otherwise 

 yield to the pressure of the aqueous medium in which 

 the animal swims. Ordinary whales have no true 

 lachrymal glands, but these organs are present in the 

 herbivorous cetacea, which latter are also furnished 

 with a third eyelid or nictitating membrane. The brain 

 of all the Cetacea is well formed, and provided with 

 numerous convolutions. Though of large size in itself, 

 it is remarkably small as compared with the bulk of the 

 body, representing by weight in the common mysticete 

 only the. one three-thousandth part of the entire ani- 

 mal. The cerebellum is comparatively bulky ; whilst, 

 of the nerves which proceed from the base of the 

 brain, the most remarkable are those which pass to the 

 organ of hearing their conspicuity being especially 

 manifested in the dolphins. 



