40 VERTEBRATES: MAMMALS. 



his mouth at once. This Whale supplies the world 

 with whalebone, and also furnishes more oil than any 

 other. Its home is in cool and frigid seas. 



The Great Sperm Whale, of the warm parts of the 

 ocean, is fully equal to the Right Whale in size. The 

 upper jaw has neither teeth nor whalebone, but the 



Fig. 72. Head of Sperm Whale. 



lower has teeth. In the upper portion of the head there 

 are cavities filled with oil which hardens when cool, and 

 is known as spermaceti. The body yields sperm oil. 

 Ambergris, a substance used by chemists in making 

 perfumery, is found in the intestines of this whale. 



The spouting, or blowing, is different in these two 

 whales ; for the Right Whale has two blow-holes on 

 the top of the head, and spouts water as well as the 

 warm moist air of the lungs ; while the Sperm Whale 

 has only one blow-hole, and spouts only the moist breath 

 of the lungs, which, on contact with the air, forms a 

 white mist that instantly vanishes. 



Through the kindness of Hon. William Mitchell. 

 Mr. Tenney has been permitted to make very interest- 

 ing extracts from letters written by Captain William 

 Barney of Nantucket, illustrating the habits of Whales. 

 One of these extracts is here given, which shows how 



