OF THE CLASS MAMMALIA. 277 



jaw, and no whalebone. The enormous size and singular form 

 of the head of the cachalot is owing to a vast collection of oil, 

 which, when cold, becomes fixed, and forms the substance called 

 spermaceti. It is situated in cavities occupying the upper 



Fig. 218. The Whale. 



part of the face and head. These cavities are supported late- 

 rally by largely developed upper jaw-bones, which give to the 

 skeleton of the head a very peculiar appearance. 



The whale fishing, an important branch of commerce, and 

 in which the boldest sailors are trained, was at one time in 

 the hands of the Basques, but now almost exclusively belongs 

 to the English and Americans. The vessels proceed either 

 north or south. The northern fishery has for its object the 

 capture of the mysticetus, or Greenland whale. In the stormy 

 seas of the North, the whaler attacks the whale with the 

 harpoon. The blubber is found immediately beneath the 

 integuments, and indeed may be considered as forming a 

 portion of them. No fat exists in the interior of the whale, 

 but the bones, especially those of the head, afford much oil. 



The South Sea Fishery has for its object the capture of the 

 cachalot or sperm whale, and is carried on mostly in the 

 Pacific and Japan Seas. The spermaceti is the object sought 

 for. 



The dolphins and the marsouins have the head much 

 smaller than the true whales, and they have teeth in both 

 jaws ; they are extremely carnivorous. Lastly, there are 

 cetacea which are herbivorous ; these are the lamantins and 

 dugong. 



