Class IV. COMMON WHALE. 65 



and some quite white, according to the obser- 

 vation of Marten, who says, that their colors in 

 the water are extremely beautiful, and that their 

 skin is very smooth and slippery. 



The substance called* whalebone adheres to Whalebone. 

 the upper jaw, and is formed of thin parallel la- 

 minae ; some of the longest four yards in length ; 

 of these there are commonly 350 on each side, 

 but in very old fish more ; of these about 500 are 

 of a length fit for use, the others being too short; 

 they are surrounded with long strong hair, not 

 only that they may not hurt the tongue, but as 

 strainers to prevent the return of their food 

 when they discharge the water out of their 

 mouths. 



It is from these hairs that Aristotle gave the 

 name of HLwtnefpos* or the bearded whale, to this 

 species, which he tells us had in its mouth hairs 

 instead of teeth y\ and Pliny describes the same 

 under the name of Musculus.\ Though the 

 antients were acquainted with this animal, yet 



* Belon, who published his work " Sur la Nature des Pois- 

 sons," in 1555, speaks of whalebone, " dont les dames font au- 

 jourdhuy leurs lustes et arrondissent leurs verdugades" by which 

 it appears the French were acquainted with that article at lest 

 forty years before we were. 



f sti SI xa) o pvo-rlxyro; oSovh; psv sv t"u crTo^ocri sx £%£<> 

 ■fff%«f $e o^oiols vela,;. Hist. an. Lib. III. c. 12. 



X Lib. XI. c. 37- 



