106 LECTURE II. 



they are encompassed in a net formed by 

 the decussating fibres of the fringed edges 

 of the wlialebone teeth. Tlie tongue, which 

 is soft hke a feather bed, and very thick, 

 being applied to the roof of the mouth, 

 the water is expressed through the ape - 

 tures of the net, and then the food is swal- 

 lowed. Thus is the most powerful Levia- 

 than obliged to obtain his livelihood by the 

 exercise of the wily arts of the fisherman. 



Mr. Hunter supposes, that the oil and 

 spermaceti which these animals form in 

 such abundance, not only serves to give 

 them buoyancy, but also proves a store- 

 house of nutriment in cases of failure in 

 the ordinary supply of food ; for he found 

 the cells that contain spermaceti empty 

 in some instances, which, he thought, 

 indicated that the animal had been for a 

 long time without food. The whole of the 

 whale tribe have also complicated stomachs 

 like those of ruminants, which enable 

 them to extract the greatest quantity of 

 nourishment from whatever food they may 



