FISH OB FLESH 325 



blubber, which not only keeps him afloat, but when 

 tried out yields barrels of sperm oil. This Whale is 

 of a curious shape, being obliged to turn on his back 

 when he wishes to take anything in his mouth. If 

 you could see the skeleton of a Whale you would find 

 that he has five finger bones hidden in his front fins, the 

 same as the Manatee. It is impossible to realize his 

 immense size when seen in the water, but if by chance 

 one is stranded on a beach, men seem but pigmies beside 

 him. The nostrils of the Whale are high on the top 



Sperm Whale. 



of its head so as to be as far out of water as possi- 

 ble. People used to think that Whales took water into 

 their mouths and blew it out through their nostrils, a 

 proceeding which is called spouting in Sea Stories. But 

 the truth of the matter is, that, breathing slowly as 

 water animals must, but with great force, the warm 

 breath turns to a fountain of spray when it comes in 

 contact with the cold air, and so the mistake arose. 



" Hunting these Whales was once the great industry 

 of the New England coast, and many stories and books 

 have been written about it ; but those days have passed 



