A.MBERGTRIS. 93 



squid arc often seen floating on the sea, which whalers consider 

 indicate good whale-ground."* 



Apropos to this subject is the following u Note on the Origin 

 of Ambergris," published l>y Mr. II. Crosse in Jour. Conchyl. 

 (Ji ser.. iii. ^04, 1803): 



All the world is acquainted with ambergris, so frequently used 

 MS a i)erfinne. either singly or in combination with other sub- 

 stances; but the singular conditions under which it is produced 

 are by no means so well known. I; is produced by the cetaceans 

 called eachelots. and is simply a result of digestion, a sort of 

 intestinal calculus, a coprolite. This has been confirmed by 

 numerous observers, including both scientific men and whalers. 

 It is formed into balls of various sixes in the digestive canal and 

 appears with the excrement. It is probaj>ly caused by an un- 

 healthy state of the animal, as the quantity differs in different 

 individuals from a lew to a hundred kilogrammes, according to 

 whalers, and some animals have none. It is encountered in 

 many parts of the world, floating on the surface of the water, 

 Mian which i! is much lighter. And -now for the connection of 

 this substance with our subject. The (Vtaceaus consume large 

 quantities of cephalopods as food, and many of ihese latter when 

 living exhale a strong odor of musk; among these may be espe- 

 cially mentioned Eledoiir. mowlm/iix. and the gigantic Loligo 

 /><>// //eri. Xow amidst the ambergris are found portions of the 

 corneous mandibles of cephalopods. which I he digestion of the 

 whale has not been able to destroy. The ambergris is then, 

 without the least doubt, the result of the intemperate eating of 

 cephalopods. Some of our renders who appreciate the delicate 

 perfume of ambergris, will scarcely thank us for revealing to 

 them in what a singular laboratory it is really prepared; but we 

 cannot change the reality of things and such persons can. if it 

 seem good to them, employ for the future perfumes of less pro- 

 saic origin. 



Cuttle-fish are used so extensively for bait at Newfoundland, 

 that half of all the cod taken is lished with them. The cuttle 

 occurs "in vast abundance, but at different times on different 

 coasts; for example, at St. Pierre in July, on the southern coasts 



* Am. Naturalist, vii, 90, 1873. 



