THE ARCTIC SEAS. 



163 



... 





Spearing the Narwhal. 



kernel of a nut. It is usually the left tooth that 

 projects. Considerable uncertainty exists about the 

 use of this long and spiral tusk. Some have sup- 

 posed that it is used to search for food, by raking 

 in the mud at the bottom, or to pierce thin ice at 

 the surface, to obtain access to the air; but Mr. 

 Scoresby appears to have thrown considerable light 

 upon it, by having met with an individual in whose 

 stomach, among the remains of other fishes, was 

 found a skate, almost entire, which was two feet 

 three inches long, and one foot eight inches wide. 

 "Now it appears remarkable," observes this gentle- 



