ZOOLOGY. 19 



place, (John PerincMef,) found one there dead, driven upon 

 an island, and though I think ignorant in the business, yet 

 got a great quantity of spermaceti out of it. It seems they 

 have not much oyl, as ours ; hut this oyl, I hear, is at first 

 all over their hodies, like spermaceti ; hut they clarify 

 it I think by the fire. When I speak with hiua (whom I 

 could not meet with at present, and now the ship is ready to 

 sail), I shall endeavour to be further informed ; but at 

 present, with the tender of my humble service to the 

 Eoyal Society, and commending your noble designe to the 

 blessinge of the Almighty,.I take my leave," &c. 



Another communication to the Eoyal Sotiety, from a Mr. 

 Eichard Stafford, and dated from Bermuda, July 16, 1688, 

 has the following : — " We have hereabouts very many sorts 

 of fishes. There is amongst them great store of whales, 

 which in March, April, and May, use our coast. I have 

 myself killed many of them. Their females have abun- 

 dance of milk, which their young ones suck out of the 

 teats, .that grow by their navel They have no teeth, but 

 feed on moss growing on the rocks at the bottom during 

 these three months, and at no other season of the year. 

 When that is consumed and gone, the whales go away also. 

 These we kUl for their oil. But here have been spermaceti 

 whales driven upon the shore, which sperma (as they call 

 it), lies all over the body of those whales. These have 

 divers teeth, which may be about as big as a man's wrist, 

 and I hope by the next opportunity to send you one of 

 them. I have been at the Bahama Islands, and there have 

 been found of this same sort of whales dead on the shore, 

 with sperma all over their bodies. Myself, with about 

 twenty more, have agreed to try whether we can master 



