454 CLASS MAMMALIA. 



in its body and tail. The head may be considered as another 

 very short cone, the base of which is closely united to that 

 of the former ; it is slightly inflated above the eyes which 

 are small, and situated at the same elevation as the division 

 of the lips ; the iris is yellow and the pupil triangular. Be- 

 yond the organ of vision and at a small distance, is that 

 of hearing, which from its diminutiveness is difficult to 

 distinguish. 



The tongue is broad, soft, and flat, and apparently in- 

 dented at the edges. 



The orifice of the two spiracles, is in the form of a 

 crescent, whose convexity faces the tail. This respiratory 

 organ, is placed above the space comprised between the 

 eye and the aperture of the mouth. 



The pectoral fin, situated very low, is almost three 

 twentieths of the entire length of the animal ; the caudal, 

 about one-fourth of the same, has two large sloping lobes., 

 from the middle of the division of which, proceeds a longi- 

 tudinal projection extending over the back as far as the 

 dorsal fin. This tail, with the assistance of these vast lobes, 

 forms a powerful lever, and contributes mainly to the 

 various evolutions of the animal. 



The epidermis is very soft to the touch, and of a deep 

 blue or brilliant black above, whitish underneath ; under 

 the true skin is a thick bed of very white fat convertible 

 into oil. 



The Dutch, Danes, and most of the marine people of 

 Europe, pursue this animal into remote and inhospitable 

 regions, to obtain this fat. The Laplanders and people of 

 Greenland, whose taste is not remarkably delicate, feed on 

 all the parts of it, the flesh of which they boil or roast, 

 having left it first to putrify that it may become more 

 tender. 



In the time of gestation, care of the young, fyc, the 

 Phocaenae precisely resemble the Dolphins. They prey on a 



