B A L 



into what is called the fkekton, give the geneml (liape ami 

 characler of the animal. Thus a quadruped is diftingir.fiitd 

 from a bird, and even one quadruped from another; it only 

 requirincj a fkin to be thrown over the (keleton to make the 

 fpecies known. But this is not fo decidedly the cafe in this 

 order of animals, for the (Iteleton in them does not give the 

 true (hape. Animmenfe head, afmall neck, few ribs, and in 

 many a (liort fternum, and no pelvis, with a long fpine, ter- 

 minating in a point, require more than a flcin being laid over 

 them in order to give the regular and charafterillic form of 

 the animal. The ftruilure of the bones is fimilar to that of 

 the bones of quadrupeds; they are compofcd of an animal 

 fubftance, and an earth that is not animal; they are^ Icfs 

 compaft than thofe of quadrupeds that are fimilar to them. 

 From thefe and other obfervations we may infer, that the 

 ftrufture, formation, arrangement, and union of the bones, 

 which compofe the forms of parts in this order of animals, 

 are much upon the fame principle as in quadrupec's. The 

 fiefh and mufcles of this order of animals are red, rclembling 

 thofe of quadrupeds, and perhaps more like thofe of the bull 

 or horfe than any other animal. 



The Linnsan definition of the mammalia clafs, having a 

 heart with two auricles and two ventricles, and the blood 

 warm and red, applies mod ftri£lly to the whale. " The 

 lieart," Mr. Hunter fays, " is inclofed in its pericardium, 

 which is attached by a broad furface to the diaphragm, as 

 in the human body. It is compofed of four cavities, two 

 auricles, and two ventricles; it is more flat than in the qua- 

 druped , and adapted to the ftiapc of the cheft. The auricles 

 have more fafciculi, and thefe pafs more acrofs the cavity 

 from fide to fide, than in many other animals; befides being 

 veiy mufcular, they are very elaftic, for being ftretched they 

 contraft again very confiderably. There is nothing uncom- 

 niou or particular in the ftruAure of the ventricles, in the 

 valves of the ventricles, or in that of the arteries." In their 

 amours and mode of producing their young, the whales agree 

 with other creatures of the mammalia tribe; and like them 

 thev have teats, and fuckle them. 



The balxna genus is diftinguiflied, according to Linnsus, 

 by having horny laminx in the fuperior jaw inllead of teeth, 

 and a double refplratory orifice on the upper part of the 

 head. By thefe charafters the t-.jue whales may be diftni- 

 guifhed from the other genera of cetaceous animals, as the 

 monodon, phyfeter, and delphinus. The hiftory of the 

 whales will be confidered under the refpeftive fpecies, of 

 which Linnausand Gmelin defcribe the following : Mysti- 

 CETUS (common whale), Physalus {fin-fifh), Boops (pike- 

 headed whale ),GiBBOSA(bunchedwhaie),MuscuL'js(round 

 lipped whale), and Rostrata (beaked whale). The French 

 tiatiualifls dlftinguiih two other fpecies; Vircy fpeaks of la 

 baleine Franche, or balelne de Groenlartd (B. myflicetus 

 Jjinn.), le nord caper, or baleine d'-Irlande (balaena glacialls 

 Bonn.), le gibbar, or finn-f.fch (fin-fifh Eng. and balxna 

 phyfalus Linn.), la baleine tampon (balsna nodofa Bonn.), 

 la Jubarte (bahena boops Lmn.), le rorqual (balaena mufcu- 

 lus Linn.), and la baleine a bee (balaena roftrata Linn.) 



In ciin:luding thefe remarks on the whale tribe, v.e c:innot 

 avoid adverting to the Britifll Zoology of Mr. Pennant, in 

 which thefe and the other cetaceous animals fou::d on our 

 coafts are admitted under the title of cetaceous fiihes; he 

 foU'WS the arrangement propofed by Ray, and feims to ob- 

 jcft chiefly to that of Linnsus, becaufe " to have prcfervcd 

 the chain of beings entire," he fays, Linnseus •' Oiould have 

 made the genus of phocae, or feals, and that of tricl;ecus or 

 manati, immediately precede the whale, thofe being the links 

 that tonne ft the mammalia or quadrupeds with the fi(h; for 

 the fe.d is, in refpeft to its legs, the moll imperfeft of the 

 furmer clafs, and in the manati the hiad feet codefee, aifum* 



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ing the form of a broad horizcmtal tail." Brit. Zool. vol. iif. 



M. Bloch excludes the whales, and other cetaceous crea- 

 tures, except the marfoin or porpolfe, from his work on 

 fi'.hes; but thefe are Included in one of liie fmaller editions of 

 the work, in the " feventh clafs, les cctacees." In a prefatory 

 note we are informed, however, that Linnseus places theie at 

 the coiicl'.ifion of the mammalia, immediatelv after the hog- 

 tribe; but as It nvglit be agreeable to give the entire clafs in 

 which the largelt animals vvh'cli nature produces are arranged, 

 the omiffion of Bloch Is fupplied from Duhamel, with the af- 

 fiftance of Anderfon, Bonaterre, Arttdi, Ray, and Belon. 



BALiENAE, in Natural Hijlory, a fpecies of Echin- 

 ORHYNCHUS, that infefts the intellines of the whale. Phips. 

 It. Gmelin. 



BAL/tNARIS, in Conchology, a fpecies of Lepas, hav- 

 ing a fubc'.niic fhell, with fix elevated rugofe four-parted 

 lobes, and a membranaceous bldentated operculum. Miiil. 

 Found adhei ing to the pectoral fins and wrinkles of balsena 

 boops, or pike-headed whale. 



BALy?iNARUM, in Entomology, a fpecies of Phalan. 

 GIUM {Pycr.igonum Fabr.), with two feelers and an ovate 

 body. Gmel. This is phalangium littorale of Strocmfundm.j 

 pediculus ceti, Bafter ; pycnogonum littorale Fabr. fn. 

 Groenl. ; and acarus marinus feu polygonopus of Pallas. 

 Inhabits European feas, lurking under ftoues. Back red; 

 fucker advanced, ftraight, obtule at the end, with a round 

 perforation; feelers about as long as the fucker, and inferted 

 near Its bafe. 



BALAGANSKOI, in Geography, a town of Siberia, on 

 the Angara, 30 miles W.N.W. of Irkutflt. N.lat. 53° 45'. 

 E. long. 103° i-i-'. 



BALAGAT, or Balla-Gaut, a province of the 

 Deccan, in tha Indian peninfula. It is a traft naturally very 

 ftrong, particularly on the weft fide towards the fea, where 

 a ftupendous wall of mountains, called the Gauts, riles 

 abruptly from the law country, called the Concan, or 

 Cockun, fupporting, in the nature of a terrace, a vaft extent 

 of fertile and populous plain?, which are fo much elevated, 

 as to render the air cool and pltaiant. This elevated traft 

 is continued not only through the Mahratta territories, but 

 extends through the peninfula to the fouthern extreme of 

 Myfore, and Is named Balla-Gaut, throughout its whole ex- 

 tent; meaning literally the Higher or Upper Gauts; or per- 

 haps more correctly the countries lying above or beloiu the 

 Gauts. In the peninfula, it is applied in contradillinftion 

 to Payen-Gaut, or the Loiver Gauts; but in the Dcccan, it 

 appears to be ufed only as a proper name, and not as a cor- 

 relative; as we have never heard of the Deccan Payen-Gaut. 

 Rennell's Mem. Introd. p. 127. 



As a province, it was formerly the largeil of the three 

 which compofed the northern Deccan, bounded on tiie north 

 by C.mdilh and-Berar; on the eaft by Tcllinga ; on the well 

 by Baglana and part of Guzerat ; and on the fouth by Vifia- 

 pore. This province, after it fell into the hands of the Mo- 

 guls, affumcd the nameof Dowlatabad, from its former capi- 

 tal. It is a fruitful pleafant country, abounding with cotton 

 and fugar. Its chief city is Aurungabad. 



BALAGUER, a town of Spain, in Catalonia, featcd 

 on the north bank of the river Segra, at the foot of a high 

 hill. N.lat. 41"^ 38'. E. long. 0° 48'. 



BALAKEF, a diftricl of the government of Saratof, in 

 Ruffia, on the river Khoper. 



BALAKHNA, or Balachna, a town of RufTia, in a 

 dlftrlft of the fame name, being one of the thirteen diltrifts 

 of Nelhnei Novogorod, on the right fide of the Volga. 

 The town was built in 1536, and contains 767 timber 

 houfes, and 1489 inhabitants. It trades to St. Pcterfburg t 

 tranfports and fait, conitrufts filhing-boats. It has one 



monafteryj 



1 



