228 THE OCEAN. 



head bears no small resemblance to a huge box. 

 There is no whalebone ; but the lower jaw, which is 

 narrow, and fits into the upper, is armed with a 

 series of sharp teeth, which are received into hollows 

 in the upper gums. The blow-hole is placed at the 

 front angle of the head ; the eye is just above the 

 inner corner of the mouth, and over this, where the 

 head joins the body, there is a hunch called the 

 bunch of the neck ; from hence the body is nearly 

 straight to within one-third of its length from the 

 tail, where there is a larger prominence called the 

 hump ; it now rapidly tapers away to the tail : the 

 whalers distinguish this tapering part by the name of 

 "the small," and the broad horizontal tail, as "the 

 flukes." The whole of the upper portion of the 

 square and bluff head is occupied by a cavity, tech- 

 nically termed "the case," which is not covered by 

 bone, but by a thick, tendinous, elastic skin, and 

 lined with a beautiful glistening membrane. This 

 cavity is filled with a clear oil, which, after death, 

 cools into the substance well known as spermaceti. 

 Some idea may be formed of the capacity of the case, 

 from the fact that, in a large Whale, it will frequently 

 be found to contain ten large barrels of this valuable 

 product. Immediately beneath the case is placed 

 " the junk," a thick triangular mass of tough elastic 

 substance, which also yields a considerable quantity 

 of spermaceti. The fins are comparatively small, and 

 are situated a little behind the mouth ; they do not 

 appear to be used in giving motion, which is effected 

 by the tail, but in balancing the body, and supporting 

 the young. 



