CF CETACIOUS FISHES. 53 



Jier offspring, flie is uncommonly fat. The embryo, it 13 

 faid, when iirft perceptible, is about feventeen inches 

 long ; and the cub when excluded, is of a black, colour, 

 and ten feet in length *. The two breafts of the whale 

 are hid within the belly ; but when ihe fuckles her 

 young, (he can produce, them, at pleafure, when they are 

 protuberant about two feet before her body. The teats 

 refemble thofe of a cow ; while the colour of the breads, 

 in fome is white, in others fpeckled ; in all, they are 

 filled with a large quantity of milk refembling that of 

 land animals. 



From what has been faid concerning the procreation of 

 whales, it appears, that thefe animals, in fecundity, are 

 far inferior to the reft of the inhabitants of the deep. 

 Nothing, however, can exceed their care and tendernefs 

 for their offspring when produced. The female whale 

 carries her cub with her wherever fiie goes ; and when 

 purfued by the fitkermen fhe keeps it fupported between 

 her fins, liven when wounded, fhe flill clafps her young 

 one ; and when forced to plunge into the deep to avoid 

 the ftrokes of her purfuers ilie carries it down along with 

 her ; but rifes fooner than ufual, to allow it time for ref-. 

 piration. 



In defence of her young, the whale is faid to difplay a 

 fiercenefs and courage far beyond what could be espefted 

 from an animal, fo gentle and inolfenfive in its nature. 

 Waller ■[ defcribes the conduct of a whale and her cub, 

 uhen furrounded in an arm of the fe?., in a manner 

 which ftrongly difplays the maternal tendernefs of thefe 

 animals. Being deferted by the tide, they were inclcfed 



on 



* Vide Goldfmith's Nat. Hift. Vol. 6. 

 i VUe hii PocTi of the Summer iHands. 



