474 



UNICORN NARWHAL. 



than twenty feet from the mouth to the tail ; and 

 is at once distinguishable from every other kind 

 of Whale by its very long, horn-like tooth, which 

 is perfectly strait, of a white or yellowish-white 

 colour, spirally wreathed throughout its whole 

 length, and gradually tapers to a sharp point. It 

 measures from six to nine or ten feet in length, 

 and proceeds from a socket on one side of the up- 

 per jaw, having a large cavity at its base or root, 

 running through the greater part of the whole 

 length. In the young animals, and occasionally 

 even in the full grown ones, more especiall}^ in 

 the males, there are two of these teeth, sometimes 

 nearly of equal length, and sometimes very unequal 

 in this respect : they are seated very close to each 

 other at the base, and as their direction is nearly 

 in a strait line, they diverge but little in their pro- 

 gress towards the extremities. The Narwhal is how- 

 ever far more frequently found with only a single 

 tooth, the socket of the other being either closed, 

 or but obscurely visible, and now and then the 

 appearance of a second tooth in an extremely small 

 state, or just beginning to emerge, is perceptible ; 

 as if intended by Nature to supply the place of 

 the other, in case of its being broken or cast. The 

 head of the Narwhal is short, and convex above ; 

 the mouth small ; the spiracle or breathing-hole 

 duplicated within ; the tongue long ; the pectoral 

 fins small ; the back finless, widish, convex, be- 

 coming gradually accuminated towards the tail, 

 which, as in other Whales, is horizontal. The 



