162 THE OCEAN. 
water. The habit here attributed to the Sword-fish 
is confirmed by the frequency with which ships are 
struck with great violence, most museums possessing 
fragments of the planking of ships in which the 
“sword” of this finny tyrant is imbedded. It is, 
with reason supposed that the dark and bulky hull 
is by the fish mistaken for the body of a Whale. 
The only resource which this gigantic animal has 
for getting rid of his troublesome foes, is said to 
be by diving to unfathomable depths, where their 
structure could not for an instant sustain the enor- 
mous pressure. 
Another animal has been accused of joining in’ 
these assaults, I suppose from having been con- 
founded with the Sword-fish. It is the Narwhal, 
or Sea Unicorn (Monodon monoceros), a very dif- 
ferent creature; in fact, being a first-cousin of the 
Whale himself. This interesting animal, the beauty 
of the northern seas, must be acquitted of this 
charge, being as inoffensive as his great relative. 
It is a very singular creature, formed in many re- 
spects like the Whale, but much more graceful. 
The colour is grey above, and pure white beneath, 
the whole spotted or mottled with a blackish hue. 
From the head projects a long straight horn of solid 
ivory, in the same line as the body; sometimes, but 
rarely, there are two. The structure and origin of 
this horn (which has given much celebrity to this 
handsome creature) are very peculiar. It is, in fact, 
the tooth, and the only one it possesses in general; 
the fellow-tooth, however, exists within the bone of 
the jaw, but undeveloped, lying shut up like the 
