532 APPENDIX, 



be a kind of rete mucosum. The cutis in this 

 tribe is extremely villous on its external surface, 

 answering to the rough surface of the cuticle, and 

 forming in some parts small ridges, similar to 

 those on the human fingers and toes. These villi 

 are soft and pliable ; they float in water, and each 

 is longer or shorter according to the size of the 

 animal. In the Spermaceti Whale they were about 

 a quarter of an inch long: in the Grampus, Bottle- 

 nose, and Piked Whales much shorter : in all they 

 are extremely vascular. 



The mouths of animals are the first parts to be 

 considered respecting nourishment or food, and 

 are so much connected with every thing relative 

 to it, as not only to give good hints whether the 

 food is animal or vegetable, but also respecting 

 the particular kinds of either, and especially of 

 animal food. The mouth in this tribe is well 

 adapted for catching the food : the jaws spread as 

 they go back, making the mouth proportionally 

 wider than in many other animals. In the forma- 

 tion of the mouth in Whales, there is a very great 

 variety. Some catch their food by means of teeth, 

 as in the Porpoise and Grampus : in others they 

 are only in one jaw, as in the Spermaceti Whale ; 

 and in the large Bottle-nose Whale described by 

 Dale, there are only two small teeth in the ante- 

 rior part of the lower jaw ; while in some others 

 there are none at all. In those which have teeth 

 in both jaw5 the number varies very considerably: 

 the small Bottle-nose has forty-six in the upper, 

 and fifty in the lower: and in the jaws of others 



