52 Account of the Greenland Whale. [Jan, 



bones, the most striking portions of the head, are from 20 to 25 

 feet in length, are curved, and the space between them is 9 or 

 iO feet, by 18 or 20. They give shape to the under part of the 

 head, which is ahiiost perfectly flat, and is about 20 feet in 

 length, by 12 in breadth. The tongue is of great size, and 

 yields a ton or more of oil. The lips, wiiich are at right angles 

 to the flat part of the base of the head, are firm and hard, and 

 yield about two tons of oil. 



To the upper jaw is attached the substance called whalehoiie^ 

 which is straight in some individuals, and in others convex. The 

 laminss or Hades are not all of equal length : neither are the 

 largest exactly in the middle of the series, but somewhat nearer 

 the throat ; from this point they become gradually shorter each 

 way. In each side of the mouth are about 200 laminae of 

 whalebone. They are not perfectly flat ; for besides the longi- 

 tudinal curvature already mentioned, they are curved trans- 

 versely. The largest laminae are from 1 0 to 14 feet in length, 

 very rarely 15 feet in length. The breadth of the largest at the 

 thick ends, or where they are attached to the jaw, is about a 

 foot. The Greenland fishers estimate the size of the whale by 

 the length of the whalebone : where the whalebone is six feet 

 long, then the whale is said to be a size fish. In suckers, or 

 young whales still under the protection of the mother, the 

 whalebone is only a few inches long. The whalebone is imme- 

 diately covered by the two under lips, the edges of which, when 

 the mouth is shut, overlap the upper part in a squamous manner. 



On the upper part of the head there is a double opening, 

 called the spQut-holes or Mow-holes. Their external orifices are 

 like two slits, which do not lie parallel, but form an acute angle 

 with each other. Through these openings the animal breathes. 



The eyes are very small, not larger than those of an ox ; yet 

 he whale appears to be quick of sight. They are situated about 



oot above where the upper and under lips join. 



In the whale, the sense of hearing seems to be rather obtuse. 



The throat is so narrow as scarcely to admit a hen's egg. 



The fins are from 4 to 5 feet broad, and 8 or 10 feet long, and 

 seem only to be used in bearing off their young, in turning, and 

 giving a direction to the velocity produced by the tail. 



The tail is horizontal ; from 20 to 30 feet in breadth, indented 

 in the middle, and the two lobes pointed and turned outwards. 

 In it lies the whole strength of the animal. By means of the 

 tail, the whale advances itself in the v/ater with greater or less 

 rapidity; if the. motion is slow, the tail Quts the water obliquely, 

 like forcing a boat forward by the operation of shdling ; but if 

 the motion is very rapid^ it is eifected by an undulating motion 

 of the rump. " 



The skin in some whales is smooth and shining ; in others, it 

 is furrowedj like the water-lines in laid paper, but coarser. 



