LECTURE IV. 151 



xi^eus. It arrives at the length of five-and-twenty 

 feet, and is of an extremely fierce and voracious 

 nature, feeding on the larger fishes, and even, 

 occasionally, on the Dolphin and Porpoise them- 

 selveSo It is found in the Mediterranean and 

 Atlantic, as well as in the polar regions, and is 

 one of the most ferocious inhabitants of the ocean. 

 As a species it is chiefly distinguished by having 

 the snout turned a little upwards. I cannot but 

 here observe that the Linn^an character of this 

 species may mislead, since it is said to be furnished 

 dentibus serratisy with serrated or sawed teeth, a 

 particularity not found in any of the Whale tribe, 

 which have all simple or plain, conical teeth : but 

 the meaning of the words dentibus serratis here is 

 only to be understood in the common classical 

 sense, as in Pliny and other authors j meaning so 

 disposed as to give the outline of the jaw a ser- 

 rated appearance in profile. 



There remains one more Linnaean genus of the 

 "Whale tribe, and that one of the most remarkable : 

 this is the genus Monodon or Narwhal. It is dis- 

 tinguished by an extremely large and long, spi- 

 rally twisted tooth, projecting in a straight direc- 

 tion, from the upper jaw. Sometimes there are 



