THE ARCTIC SEAS. 163 
Spearine THE NarwHat. 
kernel of a nut. It is usually the left tooth that 
projects. Considerable uncertainty exists about the 
use of this long and spiral tusk. Some have sup- 
posed that it is used to search for food, by raking 
in the mud at the bottom, or to pierce thin ice at 
the surface, to obtain access to the air; but Mr. 
Scoresby appears to have thrown considerable light 
upon it, by having met with an individual in whose 
stomach, among the remains of other fishes, was 
found a skate, almost entire, which was two feet 
three inches long, and one foot eight inches wide. 
“Now it appears remarkable,” observes this gentle- 
