72 THE WHALE AND 



Polar Pastures. Crabs. Shrimps. Dissectors. 



man words and conceptions, he illustrates it by 

 observing, that eighty thousand persons would 

 have been employed since the creation in count- 

 ing it. This green sea may be considered as 

 the Polar pasture ground, where whales are al- 

 ways seen in greatest numbers. These prodig- 

 ious animals can not derive any direct subsist- 

 ence from such small invisible particles ; but 

 these form the food of other minute creatures, 

 which then support others, till at length ani- 

 mals are produced of such size as to afford a 

 morsel for their mighty devourers. 



" The genus cancer, larger in size than the 

 medusa, appears to rank second in number and 

 importance. It presents itself under the vari- 

 ous species of the crab, and, above all, of the 

 shrimp, whose multitudes rival those of the me- 

 dusa, and which in all quarters feed and are fed 

 upon. So carnivorous are the propensities of 

 the northern shrimps, that joints of meat hung 

 out by Captain Parry's crew from the sides of 

 the ship were in a few nights picked to the 

 very bone, and nothing could be placed within 

 their reach except bodies of which it was de- 

 sired to obtain the skeleton. Many of the zoo- 

 phytical and molluscous orders, particularly Ac- 



