^HE NARWHAli. ^1 



tion were proportionably few in number. The tooth of 

 the narwhal about a century ago was univerfallj afcribed 

 to fome land animal : it had often been dug up among 

 foffil fubftances, and from that circumflance it was natu- 

 rally bellowed upon a terreftrial owner. P/inj/ had long 

 ago defcribed an animal refembling a horfe, with a iingle 

 horn fpringingrfrom the middle of its forehead * : Upon 

 this animal, which a farther knowledge of nature has 

 proved to be fictitious, the tooth of the narwhal was una- 

 nimoufly conferredj and the finding of fo precious a remain, 

 was confidered as a foitunate incident, that afforded a 

 llrong tellimony of the veracity of that hiftorian. 



But it was not the curiofity of mankind alone, nor the 

 rarenefs of the objedl, and the lingularity of its form, 

 that brought the narwhal's, tooth into fuch high repute in 

 the different countries of Kurope. A medicine was pre-=. 

 pared from it, which was long given out by the quacks 

 as an infallible fpecific againfl poifon, and malignant fe« 

 vers f . At length, however, thefe frauds were detected 

 and expofed by one of the privy counfellors X who had 

 a concern in the whale fifhery, and received by the re- 

 turn of his own veffels a number of thofe teeth, fome of 

 whicli were of the enormous length of three yards. 



The error cf fuppofing this armour of the narwhal a 

 horn, has led fome writers to fuppofe, that as among qua= 

 drupeds tbe female was often found without horns, fo 

 thefe inllruments of defence were only to be found in the 

 male; Ihis, however, has often been contradicted by 

 sdlual experience j both fexes are found armed in this 



inanneri 



* Kiftor. Natural. 



t T. Bartholin. Adl. McJ. An. 16734 



I Henry Mailer. "■ 



