252 



HISTORY OF FISHES. 



thicker than parchment ; but this removed, 

 the real skin appears, of about an inch thick, 

 and covering the fat or blubber that lies be- 

 neath ; this is from eight to twelve inches in 

 thickness; and is, when the fish is in health, 

 of a beautiful yellow. The muscles lie be- 

 neath ; and these, like the flesh of quadru- 

 peds, are very red and tough. 



The cleft of the mouth is above twenty feet 

 long, which is near one-third of the animal's 

 whole length ; and the upper jaw is furnished 

 with barbs, that lie like the pipes of an or- 

 gan, the greatest in the middle, and the small- 

 est to the sides. These compose the whale- 

 bone ; the longest spars of which are found to 

 be not less than eighteen feet; the shortest, 

 being of no value, are thrown away. The 

 tongue is almost immovably fixed to the lower 

 jaw, seeming one great lump of fat; and, in 

 fact, it fills several hogsheads with blubber. 

 The eyes are not larger than those of an ox ; 

 and when the crystalline humour is dried, it 

 does not appear larger than a pea. They are 

 placed towards the back of the head, being 

 the most convenient situation for enabling 

 them to see both before and behind; as also 

 to see over them, where their food is princi- 

 pally found. They are guarded by eye-lids 

 and eye-lashes, as in quadrupeds ; ar.d they 

 seem to be very sharp sighted,. 



Nor is their sense of hearing in less perfec- 

 tion ; for they are warned at great distances, 

 of any danger preparing against them. It 

 would seem as if nature had designedly given 

 them these advantages, as they multiply little, 

 in order to continue their kind. It is true, 

 indeed, that the external organ of hearing is 

 not perceptible, for this might only embarrass 

 them in their natural element: but as soon as 

 the thin scarf-skin above mentioned is re- 

 moved, a black spot is discovered behind the 

 eye, and under that is the auditory canal, 

 that leads to a regular apparatus for hearing. 

 In short, the animal hears the smallest sounds 

 at very great distances, and at all times, ex- 

 cept when it is spouting water ; which is the 

 time that the fishers approach to strike it. 



These spout holes or nostrils, in all the ce- 

 taceous tribe, have been already described : in 

 this whale there are two, one on each side the 

 head before the eyes, and crooked, somewhat 

 like the holes on the belly of a violin. From 

 these holes this animal blows the water very 

 fiercely, and with such a noise, that it roars j 

 like a hollow wir.d, and may be heard at three 

 miles distance. When wounded, it then ' 

 blows more fiercely than ever, so that itj 

 sounds like the roaring of the sea in a great j 

 storm. 



We have already observed, that the sub- 

 stance called whale-bone, is taken from the 

 upper jaw of the animal, and is very different 



from the real bones of the whale. The real 

 bones are hard, like those of great land ani- 

 mals, are very porous, and filled with mar- 

 row. Two great strong bones sustain the upper 

 lip, lying against each other in the shape of a 

 half moon : some of these are twenty-feet 

 long ; they are seen in several gardens set 

 up against each other, and are usually mista 

 ken for the ribs of this animal. 



Such is the general conformation and figuro 

 of this great inhabitant of the deep, the pre- 

 cise anatomy of which has not been yet as- 

 certained. In those places where they are 

 caught in greatest abundance, the sailors are 

 not very curious as to the structure of the vis- 

 cera ; and few anatomists care to undertake a 

 task where the operator, instead of separating 

 with a lancet, must cut his way with an axe. 

 It is as yet doubted, therefore, whether the 

 whale, that in most points internally resem- 

 bles a quadruped, may not have one great 

 bowel fitted entirely for the reception of air, 

 to supply it, when constrained to keep longer 

 than usual at the bottom. The sailors uni- 

 versally affirm that it has; and philosophers 

 have nothing but the analogy of its parts * 

 oppose to their general assertions. 



As these animals resemble quadrupeds in 

 conformation, so they bear a strong resem- 

 blance in some of their appetites and man- 

 ners. The female joins with the male, as is 

 asserted, more humano, and once in two years 

 feels the accesses of desire. 



Their fidelity to each other exceeds what- 

 ever we are told of even the constancy ot 

 birds. Some fishers, as Anderson informs us, 

 having- struck one of two whales, a male and 

 a female, that were in company together, the 

 wounded fish made a long and terrible resist- 

 ance : it struck down a boat with three men 

 in it, with a single blow of the tail, by which 

 all went to the bottom. The other still at- 

 tended its companion, and lent it every assist- 

 ance ; till, at last, the fish that was struck 

 sunk under the number of its wounds; while 

 its faithful associate, disdaining to survive 

 the loss, with great bellowing stretched itself 

 upon the dead fish, and shared its fate. 



The whale goes with young nine or ten 

 months, and is then fatter than usual, particu- 

 larly when near the time of bringing forth. 

 It is said that the embryo, when first percep- 

 tible, is about seventeen inches long, and 

 white ; but the cub, when excluded, is black, 

 and about ten feet long. She generally pro- 

 duces one young one, and never above two. 

 When she suckles her young, she throws her- 

 self on one side on the surface of the sea, and 

 the young one attaches itself to the teat. The 

 breasts are two, generally hid within the bel- 

 ly ; but she can produce them at pleasure, so 

 as to stand forward a foot and a half, or two 



