42 The Mysticetus, or Right Whale 



developed by this great cetacean comes into play. 

 He bears dependent from his upper jaw a series of 

 broad plates of gristly substance, the 'whalebone ' 

 of commerce (though nothing could be less like bone). 

 These blades, like those of a scythe, depend by their 

 broad ends from the upper jaw, leaving their taper 

 extremities swinging free in the great scoop of the 

 lower jaw. Their outer edges, like the back of the 

 scythe-blade, are thickish, their inner edges are fringed, 

 hair-like ; and interlacing each other, they form together 

 a perfect natural sieve. Between their rows at the 

 bottom of the lower jaw lies an immense mass of fat 

 of nearly two tons weight in the full-grown subject, 

 the tongue. And, the mouth being full, this great 

 tongue slowly rises and forces out the water through 

 the sieve, until there remains only a heap of tiny 

 creatures out of their element and sliding gradually 

 down a pipe of one and a half inches in diameter, the 

 guUet of the Right Whale, which has led to so many 

 strange errors as to the swallowing capacity of whales 

 in general. 



As the Right Whale, alone of all the sea-mammals, 

 feeds in this marvellous way, so he alone of all whales 

 has this strangely constricted gullet, a curious contrast 

 again with the sperm whale, who can swelUow morsels 

 of truly heroic size, at least six feet cube in the adult. 

 One point more in this connexion ; it used to be sup- 

 posed that the Right Whale, having filled his mouth 

 with food, pumped the water out through his spiracles 

 or blow-holes, until it was discovered that the breathing 

 apparatus of all sea-mammals is entirely unconnected 

 with their mouths, and that it is an absolute impos- 

 sibility while they live for any water to gain access to 

 their breathing channels. The real process is as I have 

 described. 



