THE KING'S MIRROR 



There is another kind called the Greenland shark,* 

 which is peculiar in this, that it has caul and fat in the 

 abdomen like cattle. The largest of these whales grow 

 to a length of thirty ells at most. 



There are certain varieties that are fierce and savage 

 toward men and are constantly seeking to destroy them 

 at every chance. One of these is called the " horse 

 whale," and another the " red comb." f They are very 

 voracious and malicious and never grow tired of slaying 

 men. They roam about in all the seas looking for ships, 

 and when they find one they leap up, for in that way 

 they are able to sink and destroy it the more quickly. 

 CThese fishes are unfit for human food; being the natural 

 _ enemies of mankind, they are, in fact, loathsome]] The 

 ~* largest of this type never grow more than thirty or forty 



ells in length. 



There is still another sort called the narwhal, which 

 may not be eaten for fear of disease, for men fall ill and 

 die if they eat of it. This whale is not large in size; it 

 never grows longer than twenty ells. It is not at all savage 

 but rather tries to avoid fishermen. It has teeth in its 

 head, all small but one which projects from the front of 

 the upper jaw. This tooth is handsome, well formed, and 

 straight as an onion stem. It may grow to a length of 

 seven ells and is as even and smooth as if shaped with 

 a tool. It projects straight forward from the head when 

 the whale is traveling; but sharp and straight though it 

 is, it is of no service as a defensive weapon; for the whale 



* It is possible that the basking sharks are meant rather than the Greenland 

 sharks; they are larger than the Greenland sharks, but do not seem to be 

 common in the Arctic waters, 

 t The " horse whale " and the " red comb " have not been identified. 



