162 THE OCEAN. 



water. The habit here attributed to the Sword-fish 

 is confirmed by the frequency with which ships are 

 struck with great violence, most museums possessing 

 fragments of the planking of ships in which the 

 "sword" of this finny tyrant is imbedded. It is 

 with reason supposed that the dark and bulky hull 

 is by the fish mistaken for the body of a Whale. 

 The only resource which this gigantic animal has 

 for getting rid of his troublesome foes, is said to 

 be by diving to unfathomable depths, where their 

 structure could not for an instant sustain the enor- 

 mous pressure. 



Another animal has been accused of joining in 

 these assaults, I suppose from having been con- 

 founded with the Sword-fish. It is the Narwhal, 

 or Sea Unicorn (Monodon monoceros), a very dif- 

 ferent creature ; in fact, being a first-cousin of the 

 Whale himself. This interesting animal, the beauty 

 of the northern seas, must be acquitted of this 

 charge, being as inoffensive as his great relative. 

 It is a very singular creature, formed in many re- 

 spects like the Whale, but much more graceful. 

 The colour is grey above, and pure white beneath, 

 the whole spotted or mottled with a blackish hue. 

 From the head projects a long straight horn of solid 

 ivory, in the same line as the body ; sometimes, but 

 rarely, there are two. The structure and origin of 

 this horn (which has given much celebrity to this 

 handsome creature) are very peculiar. It is, in fact, 

 the tooth, and the only one it possesses in general; 

 the fellow-tooth, however, exists within the bone of 

 the jaw, but undeveloped, tying shut up like the 



