EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. *ii 



confequently every veffel which happens to pafs the CHAP. 

 mouth of the river Surinam muft make a confiderable ^' 

 circuit in order to regain the poflibiUty of entermg that 

 river. 



While we remained in this fituation, we obferved the 

 narwhal^ or fea-nnicorn, and one or two large turtles, 

 floating pad the fliip's fide. The former of thefe is a 

 large fifli, and very diftinguilhable by a long fpiral ex- 

 crefcence on its nofe, like a tapering twifted rope. The 

 one v/e faw at this time (though fome are faid to be forty 

 or fifty) appeared but fix or eight feet in length, and its 

 horn about four, which weapon is dreadfully ofFenfive to 

 many fifhes, efpecially to the whale ; and when polifhed 

 (either in liardoefs or whitenefs) is confidered not to be 

 inferior to ivory. The narwhal, wiiich is of the ceta- 

 ceous kind, and confequently viviparous, is more fre- 

 quently found 111 cold than v/arm climates. The female 

 is faid to be unprovided with that protuberance- fo re- 

 markable iii the mpJe. It appears that fome authors have 

 confounded this animal v/ith the fword-Ji/Jj, to which 

 hovvev^er it does not prove to have tiie very fmalleft re- 

 femblance. 



Another animal, v/hich is called X\\^ faw-fjlj^ carries alfo 

 an ofFentive weapon. The projedling bone of this is 

 three or four feet long, fiat, and both fides armed with 

 ftrong (harp -pointed fpikes, which give it fomewhat the 

 form of a faw ; this fav\", which is covered over with 

 the lame rough, fiiniy, darkifli-coloured fkin that covers 



G 4 the 



