238 WHALES. 



tongue a huge mass, of a red colour ; the teeth in the 

 lower jaw very strong, with holes in the upper one to 

 receive them, and the rudiments of teeth in the inter- 

 vals between. The head exceeds in size all the rest of 

 the body. 



But notwithstanding the clumsiness of its form, it is 

 a very active animal, swimming with great rapidity, and 

 vaulting almost out of the water with apparent ease. 

 The bones are hard, and made into weapons by the 

 Greenlanders, while the teeth are of the purest ivory. 

 It is not very productive of oil, but the Greenlanders 

 are very fond of its flesh, which is of a pale colour, 

 and has some resemblance to pork. It attains the 

 length of sixty or seventy feet, with a circumference of 

 thirty. It is not very common in the British seas, 

 though it has been found occasionally there, as also 

 on the coast of France. 



The BLUNT-HEADED SPERMACETI WHALE resembles 

 the former, only the muzzle is more blunt, and its body, 

 which grows to as great a length as that of the former, 

 is thicker in proportion ; and vastly more valuable, 

 both for its spermaceti and its oil. The capture of it 

 is not, however, unattended with danger, as it comes 

 open-mouthed with great velocity against its assailants. 

 Instead of a dorsal fin, it has a hump or protuberance 

 on the back. It is occasionally met with in the British 

 seas. 



The SMALL-EYED, also called the ft/ac-headed sper- 

 maceti whale, is characterized by the smallness of its 

 eyes, and the enormous size and dark colour of its 



