25G DIVISION I. VERTEBKAL ANIMALS. — CLASS I. MAJLMALIA. 



last, dilFers from it in several iinjKirtaiit particular.-:, one of wiiieh — the struc- 

 ture (if the vertebral cukunn — is sutKeieut to establish a distinct species. The 

 great rorcpial has sixtj'-three vertel)riv, while II. ininor has but forty-eight. 



These whales frequent the rocky bays of Greenland, especially during 

 sunuiier, and also the coasts of Iceland and Norway. They i'eed on the arctic 

 salmon and other fish. Acti\e and powerful, the natives never venture to 

 harpoon them, but wound them with darts and spears, and, after the lapse 

 of sonic (lavs, examine the shores, hoping to find them stranded and dead. 

 The Hesh is esteemed a great delicacy, and the oil is much valued by the 

 Icelanders. 



I^. ^htstrolis. — I-orqual of the Southern Seas. According to M. Dela- 

 landc, the most marked pecidiarity ot' this whale is a long dorsal fin, which, 

 instead of being placed o[)posite to the vent, is situated innnediately over the 

 pectoi'als. The body is l)lack above, and jnu'o wliitc beneath, except within 

 the folds, which arc of a ro.sy hue. Its power and velocity .-u'e so great, that 

 its capture is extremely ditHcidt and dangerous ; and, consc(piently, it is left 

 nnuKilested, piu'suing its ]irey in peace, and spijrting on the waves, fearing no 

 disturl)an<'e on the part of human assailants. Dr. Foster thus descril)cs the 

 pla\lid haiiils of the species : " ^\'h(■n between Statlen Island and Tt'rra del 

 Fncn'o, Lieutenant I'ickersgill was sent into Success Bay, and on this wca- 

 sion it was remarked that no less than thirly large whales pl.aycd about them 

 in the water. ^\'hene\cr they were seen hlmrliir/ to windward, the whale shi[) i 

 ■was infected with a most detestable rank .'uul poisonous stench, which went : 

 olT in the space of Iwo or three minutes. Sometimes these huge animals lay 

 on their backs, an<l with their long pectoral fins beat the surface of the sea, 

 ^^hi(■h alwavs caused a great noise, equal to the explosion of a swivel. This 

 kind of jilay has doubtless given rise to the mariner's story of a fight between 

 the thresher and the whale ; the former of which is said to leap out of the 

 water in order to fall heavily iq)on the latter. Here wc had an opportunity 

 of observing the same exercise many times repeated, and tliscovcred that all 

 the belly, and the under part of the fins and tail, are of a white color, where- 

 as the rest is black. As we liap[ien(.'d to be only sixty yards from one 

 of these animals, we perceived a numlier of longitudinal iurrows on its belly. 

 Besides flapping witli their fins in the water, these imwieldy creatures, of 

 forty feet in length, sometimes fairly leaped into the air, and dropped down 

 again with a heavy fall." 



These whales have the habit of placing themselves in a perpendicular 

 position, with the head only above the water, when they present a most ex- 

 traordinary appearance, resembling large black rocks in the midst of the 

 ocean. This posture appears to be assumed f )r the [)urposc of surveying 

 more easily the surrounding expanse, and whatever may be floating thereon. 



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