﻿356 
  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  lated 
  and 
  partly 
  detached 
  portions 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  mistaken 
  for 
  

   such 
  structures. 
  No 
  bones 
  or 
  other 
  hard 
  parts 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  it. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Webb 
  has 
  recently 
  sent 
  to 
  me 
  several 
  large 
  masses 
  of 
  the 
  

   integument 
  of 
  the 
  creature, 
  preserved 
  fairly 
  well 
  in 
  formalin. 
  

   These 
  masses 
  are 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  10 
  inches 
  thick, 
  and 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  

   muscular, 
  as 
  had 
  been 
  thought, 
  they 
  have 
  a 
  structure 
  similar 
  to 
  

   the 
  hard, 
  elastic 
  variety 
  of 
  blubber-like 
  integument 
  found 
  on 
  

   the 
  head 
  of 
  certain 
  cetaceans, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  sperm 
  whale. 
  They 
  

   contain 
  very 
  little 
  oil 
  and 
  cannot 
  be 
  called 
  true 
  blubber. 
  They 
  

   are 
  firm, 
  very 
  tough 
  and 
  elastic, 
  and 
  composed 
  mainly 
  of 
  much 
  

   interlaced 
  fibers 
  and 
  large 
  buudles 
  of 
  tough, 
  fibrous, 
  white 
  connec- 
  

   tive 
  tissue. 
  They 
  are 
  difficult 
  to 
  cut 
  or 
  tear 
  apart, 
  especially 
  where 
  

   indurated 
  by 
  partial 
  drying. 
  Some 
  large 
  irregular 
  canals 
  per- 
  

   meate 
  the 
  inner 
  and 
  less 
  dense 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  thick 
  masses. 
  

   These 
  may 
  have 
  contained 
  blood 
  vessels 
  originally. 
  From 
  the 
  

   inner 
  surface 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  pieces 
  large 
  cords 
  of 
  elastic 
  fibers 
  

   proceeded 
  inward. 
  These 
  now 
  hang 
  loosely 
  from 
  the 
  masses 
  of 
  

   integument. 
  Dr. 
  Webb 
  states 
  that 
  these 
  were 
  found 
  attached 
  on 
  

   all 
  sides 
  to 
  a 
  long 
  saccular 
  organ, 
  which 
  occupied 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  cen- 
  

   tral 
  cavity 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  mass. 
  No 
  muscular 
  fibers 
  were 
  present 
  in 
  

   the 
  specimens 
  sent. 
  Perhaps 
  the 
  muscular 
  tissues 
  of 
  the 
  inner 
  sur- 
  

   faces, 
  if 
  any 
  were 
  present 
  originally, 
  have 
  decayed, 
  but 
  the 
  tough 
  

   fibrous 
  mass 
  does 
  not 
  show 
  much 
  decomposition. 
  The 
  outer 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  shows 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  a 
  tough, 
  thin, 
  gray, 
  rather 
  rough 
  skin- 
  

   like 
  layer, 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  outer 
  skin. 
  It 
  looks 
  a 
  

   little 
  like 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  some 
  fishes 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  scales 
  have 
  been 
  

   removed. 
  From 
  these 
  facts 
  I 
  am 
  led 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  mass 
  

   cast 
  ashore 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  fragment, 
  probably 
  from 
  the 
  head, 
  of 
  some 
  

   huge 
  vertebrate 
  animal, 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  blubber-like 
  layer 
  of 
  great 
  

   thickness. 
  

  

  Although 
  such 
  an 
  integument 
  might, 
  perhaps, 
  be 
  supposed 
  

   compatible 
  with 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  some 
  unknown 
  fish* 
  or 
  reptile, 
  

   it 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  like 
  the 
  integument 
  found 
  upon 
  the 
  

   upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  a 
  sperm 
  whale 
  than 
  anything 
  else 
  that 
  

   I 
  know. 
  If 
  we 
  could 
  imagine 
  a 
  sperm 
  whale 
  with 
  the 
  head 
  pro- 
  

   longed 
  far 
  forward 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  great 
  blunt, 
  saccular 
  snout, 
  

   freely 
  projecting 
  beyond 
  the 
  upper 
  jaw, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  great 
  cen- 
  

   tral 
  cavity, 
  it 
  might, 
  if 
  detached 
  and 
  eroded 
  by 
  the 
  surf, 
  present 
  

   an 
  appearance 
  something 
  like 
  the 
  mass 
  cast 
  ashore, 
  It 
  hardly 
  

   seems 
  possible, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  abruptly 
  truncated 
  and 
  narrow 
  

   snout 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  sperm 
  whale 
  could 
  take 
  on, 
  even 
  after 
  being- 
  

   long 
  tossed 
  about 
  by 
  the 
  waves, 
  a 
  form 
  like 
  this. 
  No 
  whaler 
  

   who 
  has 
  seen 
  it 
  has 
  recognized 
  it 
  as 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  whale. 
  It 
  does 
  

   not 
  seem 
  possible 
  to 
  identify 
  such 
  a 
  large, 
  hollow, 
  pear-shaped 
  

   sac, 
  21 
  feet 
  long, 
  with 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  an 
  ordinary 
  sperm 
  whale 
  unless 
  

   its 
  nose 
  had 
  become 
  enlarged 
  and 
  distorted 
  by 
  disease, 
  or 
  possi- 
  

   bly 
  by 
  extreme 
  old 
  age. 
  No 
  blowhole 
  was 
  discovered. 
  

  

  The 
  specimen 
  has 
  now 
  been 
  moved 
  several 
  miles 
  nearer 
  to 
  

   St. 
  Augustine 
  and 
  enclosed 
  by 
  a 
  fence 
  to 
  protect 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  drift- 
  

   ing 
  sand. 
  It 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  remain 
  in 
  nearly 
  its 
  present 
  state 
  for 
  

   several 
  months 
  more. 
  A. 
  e. 
  veerill. 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  integument 
  of 
  Orthagoriscus 
  mola, 
  the 
  great 
  sun-fish, 
  is 
  very 
  thick 
  and 
  

   elastic, 
  but 
  unlike 
  this 
  in 
  structure. 
  

  

  

  