THE CACHALOT. .65 



This formidable conformation of the mouth and throat 

 feems to indicate an extraordinary degree of vorr.citj in 

 thefe animals. The hiilory of the cachalot correfponds 

 to thefe appearances : for while the flomach of the whale 

 is feen to contain hardly any thing but froth, that of the 

 cachalot is crammed with a varieiy of different kinds of 

 llihes; fome half digefled, others whole; fome fmall, others 

 eight or nine feet long. The cachalot, therefore, is pro- 

 bably one of the moll rapacious fillies of the deep : and 

 is as deftructive among the lefTer tribes, as the whale is 

 harmlefs. But it is not to the fmaller fiflics alone, thac 

 this animal is formidable ; among thcfc the contelt is foon 

 ended, for it can devour thoufands at one f wallow ; it 

 purfues and terrifies thofe of its own order, the dolphin, 

 and the porpefie to fuch a degree, that they are frequently 

 driven afhore in endeavouring to efcapc. 



Of the cachalot there are no lefs than feyen varieties : 

 That of a black colour, with two fins ; the cachalot with 

 a white back, and the fame number of fins ; the fpecies 

 with its fpout-hole in the neck ; tliat with the fpout near 

 the mouth ; that with three fins, and (harp pointed teeth ; 

 that with three fins, and fliarp edged teeth ; and, lafily, 

 the cachalot with three fins, and flat teeth. All thefe were 

 indifcriminately termed fpermaceti whales *, till Mr. 

 Vemiant borrowed that name from the French^ by which 

 they are now diilinguillied f . 



From the fmallnefs of its fize, as well as its fierce- ' 

 nefs and agility, the capture of the cachalot would fel- 

 dom be attempted by the fiihers, were it not for the fake' 

 of thofe valuable medicines, fpermaceti and ambergris, 



Vol. III. I ^vhicli 



• Dale's Hanvich. p. 413. 



t Vide Brit. Zooh Clafs iv. Gen, 



