'204 ACCOUNT OF A FIN-WHALE. 



the middle of the rows, and were only about eigh- 

 teen inches long. Each lamina was dark- coloured 

 in the thickest pact, but became of a greenish or 

 bluish-white colour on the thin side, next the 

 interior of the mouth, where it separated into 

 long white hairs or bristles. There might be about 

 300 laminae on each side of the jaw, or 600 in all. 



The tongue was black, of great size, soft, and 

 nearly smooth. 



There were two blowholes, long and narrow 

 apertures, separated from each other only by a 

 thin partition. They were situated in the highest 

 part of the upper jaw. 



The eyes were placed on the sides of the head, 

 a very little way behind and above each angle or 

 corner of the mouth. From eye to eye, measuring 

 across the head, was nearly seven feet. The 

 socket of the eye was fully 2*. inches in diameter. 



The skin was black on the back ; but, towards 

 the belly, the colour changed to whitish. The 

 cuticle was very fine ; the true skin soft, spongy, 

 and of considerable thickness. 



The whole skin of the thorax, and upper part 

 of the belly, was plaited or folded. The sulci y 

 (or plica, as Sir Robert Sibbald calls them), 

 were about two dozen in number. They extend- 

 ed from the lower lip to about four feet beyond 

 the swimming-paws. On the under jaw, they 

 ran obliquely downwards ; but on the belly, they 

 had a straight longitudinal direction. On the fore- 

 part of the body, they were uniform and parallel \ 



