522 



RESPIRATION OF THE WHALE. 



able to disengage itself from the detaining cord in time to breathe, and was consequently 

 suffocated. 



When the Whales breathe, they are forced to rise to the surface of the sea, and there 

 make a number of huge respirations, which are technically called " spoutings," because 

 a column of mixed vapor and water is ejected from the nostrils, or " blow-holes," and 

 spouts upwards to a great height, sometimes as much as twenty feet. In order to enable 

 the animal to respire without exposing itself unnecessarily, the " blow-holes" are placed 

 on the upper part of the head, so that when a Whale is reposing itself on the surface of 

 the sea, there is very little of its huge carcass visible, except the upper portion of the 

 head and a part of the back. The " spoutings " are made with exceeding violence, and 

 can be heard to some distance. 



The mode of respiration is, however, rather different from that of the generality of 

 mammalia, being modified in order to meet the peculiar circumstances in which the 

 animal is placed. 



In nearly all the mammalia the movements of respiration take place in rather 

 rapid succession, and are continuous in their action, and if they are checked for 

 only a few minutes, the result is inevitably fatal. It is evident, however, that as 

 the Whales are forced to seek their food in the depths of the ocean, and to remain 

 for a considerable space of time below the surface, their respiration must be con- 

 ducted on a different system. The mode which is adopted is truly one of the most 

 marvellous contrivances that can be imagined, and which is so beautifully simple as well 

 as profound that it raises our highest adoration of the unspeakable wisdom which 

 planned it. 



It is clear that the creature would not be able to take a supply of air into the depths 

 of the ocean, and that another means must be found for oxygenizing the blood. 



As, therefore, the animal is unable to breathe below the surface of the water, the 

 difficulty is surmounted by furnishing it with a large reservoir of arterial blood, which 

 is oxygenized during the short time that is occupied in the " spoutings," and which sup- 

 plies the circulation until the Whale returns again to the upper regions for a fresh sup- 

 ply. The reserved blood is contained in a large mass of vessels which line the interior 

 of the chest and the adjoining regions, and are capable of containing a sufficient amount 

 of fresh blood to sustain life for a wonderfully long period. 



As the Whales are in the habit of descending to very great depths depths so 

 profound, that if a piece of dry wood be equally deeply sunk it will be saturated 

 with water, and will not float their ears and nostrils must be guarded against the 

 dangers that would arise from the penetration of the water into their cavities. There is 

 consequently a beautifully simple and ingenious valvular structure, which perfectly 

 answers this purpose, and firmly closes the external orifices in proportion to the depth to 

 which the animal dives. The ear is remarkably small, and in some specimens is almost 

 undiscernible. Some anatomists are of opinion that the Whales can hear by means 

 of the communication of the ear with the mouth. As the spermaceti Whale is 

 capable of communicating with its companions at a distance of several miles, it is 

 evident that the sense of hearing must be better developed than would be the case 

 if the creature were totally dependent for hearing on the external orifice : which must 

 always be closed while under water, and which in many species is covered with the 

 external integument. 



The limbs of the Whales are so modified in their form that they can hardly be 

 recognized by their external appearance alone as the limbs of a veritable mammal. In 

 shape they closely resemble the fins of fish, and it is not until they are stripped of the 

 thick skin which envelops them that the true limb is developed. The reader may see 

 the bony structure of the Whale's fin by referring to the skeleton of the rorqual on page 529. 

 The chief use of these organs seems to be that they assist the animal in preserving its 

 position in the water, for the huge carcass rolls over on its back as soon as it is deprived 

 of the balancing power of the fins. They are also employed for the purpose of grasp- 

 ing the young whenever the mother Whale is anxious for the safety of her offspring, but 

 they are of little use in urging the animal through the water, that duty being almost 

 entirely performed by the tail. 



