WHALE-TAILED TRICHECHUS. 243 



water : the lips are also full of bristles, which serve 

 instead of teeth to cut the strong roots of sea 

 plants, which, floating ashore, are a sign of the 

 vicinity of these animals. In the mouth are no 

 teeth, only two flat, white bones, one in each jaw, 

 one above, another below, with undulated sur- 

 faces, which serve instead of grinders. 



The eyes are extremely small; not larger than 

 those of a sheep : instead of ears are only two mi- 

 nute orifices, which will scarce permit a quill to 

 enter : the tongue is pointed and small : the neck 

 thick; and its junction with the head scarce dis- 

 tinguishable; and the last always hangs down. 



The circumference of the body near the shoul- 

 ders is twelve feet; about the belly twenty; near 

 the tail only four feet eight inches; the head 

 thirty-one inches: the neck near seven feet; and 

 from these measurements may be collected the 

 deformity of the animal. Near the shoulders are 

 two feet, or rather fins, which are only two feet 

 two inches long, and have neither fingers nor 

 nails: beneath they are concave, and covered 

 with hard bristles; the tail is thick, strong, 

 and horizontal, ending in a stiff black fin, and 

 like the substance of whalebone, being much split 

 on the fore part, and slightly forked ; but both 

 ends are of equal length like the whale. 



The skin is very thick, hard, and black ; and 

 full of inequalities like the bark of oak ; and so 

 hard as scarcely to be cut with an ax, and has no 

 hair upon it : beneath the skin is a thick blubber, 

 which is said to taste like oil of almonds. The 



