Clafs IV. 
COMMON WHALE. 
35 
Genus J. Cetaceous Fifh without teeth, with 
horny laminz in their mouths. Waa te. 
I. The COMMON WHALE. 
Musixnros. Arif. Hif. an. lib. 
Mien cri. 
~Mufculus Plinii Lib. xi. c. 37. 
Balena. Rondel. 475. Ge/ner Pifc. 
114. 
Biles major, laminas corneas 
in fuperiore maxillas habens, 
fiftula donata, bipinnis. Szé. 
Phalazn. 28. 
Balzna vulgaris edentula, dorfo 
The Whale. Marteus Spitzberg. 
130. Crantz. Greenl. 1. 107- 
La Baleine ordinaire. Brifon 
Cet. 218. 
Balena fiftulain medio capite, 
dorfo caudam verfus, acumi- 
nato. Arted /yn. 106. Sp. 106. 
Balena myfticetus. Lin. fife 
tos. Gronlands Walfitk. 
Faun. fuec. No. 49- 
non pinnato. Raii/yn. pife.6. Balena. Gronov. Zooph. 29. 
Balena. Rondel. Wil. Icth. 35. 
AHIS fpecies is the largeft of all animals: it is 
even at prefent fometimes found in the north- 
ern feas ninety feet in length; but formerly they were 
taken of a much greater fize, when the captures were 
lefs frequent, and the fifh had time to grow. Suchis 
their bulk within the aric circle, but in thofe of the 
torrid zone, where they are unmolefted, whales are 
ftill feen one hundred and fixty feet long *. 
The head is very much difproportioned to the fize 
of the body, being one-third the fize of the fifh: the 
under lip is much broader than the upper. The 
tongue is compofed of a foft fpongy fat, capable of 
* Adanfon’s voy. 174. From this account we find no reafon 
to difbelieve the vaft fize of the Indian whales, of whofe bones 
and jaws, both Strabo, lib. xv. and Pliny, lib. ix. c. 3. relate, 
that the natives made their houfes, ufing the jaws for door-cafes. 
This method of building was formerly prattifed by the inha- 
bitants of Greenland, as we find from Frobifber, in his fecond 
voyage, p. 18, publifhed in 1578. 
yielding 
Size, 
