558 APPENDIX. 



that of a fish, and therefore probably not calcu- 

 lated to smell water. It therefore becomes diffi- 

 cult to account for the manner in which such ani- 

 mals smell the water ; and why others should not 

 have had such an organ, which, I believe, is pe- 

 culiar to the large and small Whalebone Whales. 



The organ of smell would appear to be less ne- 

 cessary in these animals than in those which live 

 in air, since some are wholly deprived of it ; and 

 the organ in those which have it is extremely 

 small, when compared with that of other animals, 

 as well as the nerve which is to receive the im- 

 pression. 



The ear is constructed much upon the same 

 principle as in quadrupeds. The organ consists 

 of the same parts as in the quadruped ; an exter- 

 nal opening, with a membrana tympani, an Eu- 

 stachian tube, a tympanum with its processes, 

 and the small bones. There is no external pro- 

 jection forming a funnel, but merely an exter- 

 nal opening. We can easily as'sign a reason 

 why there should be no projecting ear, as it 

 would interfere with progressive motion; but the 

 reason why it is not formed as in birds, is not so 

 evident ; whether the percussions of water could 

 be collected into one point as air, I cannot say. 

 The tympanum is constructed with irregularities, 

 so much like those of an external ear, that I 

 could suppose it to have a similar effect. The 

 immediate organ is, in point of situation, to 

 that of the tympanum, superior and internal as 

 in the quadruped. The tympanum is open at the 



