8fi 



CHAP. VIII. 



THE CETACEANS. 



General Eemarka on the Organisation of the Cetaceans. — The Large Greenland 

 Whale. — His Food and Enemies. — The Fin-Back or Rorqual. — The Antarctic 

 Whale.— The Sperm Whale.— The Unicorn Fish.— The Dolphin.— Truth and 

 Fahle. — The Porpoise. — The Grampus. — History of the Whale Fishery. 



Of all the living creatures that people the immensity of ocean, 

 the cetaceans, or the whale family, are the most perfect. Their 

 anatomical construction renders them in many respects similar 

 to man, and their heart is susceptible of a warmth of feeling 

 unknown to the cold-blooded fishes ; for the mother shows signs 

 of attachment to her young, and forgets her own safety when 

 some danger menaces her offspring. Like man, the cetaceans 

 breathe through lungs, and possess a double heart, receiving and 

 propelling streams of warm red blood. The anatomical structure 

 of their pectoral fins bears great resemblance to that of the 

 human arm, as the bony structure of those organs equally consists 

 of a shoulder-blade, an upper arm, a radius and ulna, and five 

 fingers. 



But the arm, which in man moves freely, is here chained to the 

 body, as far as the hand, and the latter, which, in obedience to 

 human volition and intellect, executes such miracles of industry 

 and art, is here covered with a thick skin, and appears as a broad 

 undivided fin or flapper. Yet still it is destined for higher 

 service than that of a mere propelling oar, as it serves the 

 mother to guide and shield her young. The lower extremities 

 are of course wanting, but their functions are performed by the 

 mighty horizontal tail, by whose powerful strokes the un- 

 wieldy animal glides rapidly through the waters. 



The cetaceans distinguish themselves, moreover, from the fishes 

 by the bringing forth of living young, by a greater quantity of 

 blood, by the smoothness of their skin, under which is found a 



H 2 



