WHALE-TAILED TRICHECHUS. 243 
water : the lips are also full of bristles, which serve 
instead of teeth to cut the strong roots of sea 
plants^ wliich, floating ashore, are a sign of the 
vicinity of these animals. In the mouth are no 
teeth^ only two flat, white bones, one in each jaw, 
one above, another below, with undulated sur- 
faces, which serve instead of grinders. 
The eyes are extremely small ; not larger than 
those of a sheep : instead of ears are only two mi- 
nute orifices, which will scarce permit a quill to 
enter : the tongue is pointed and small : the neck 
thick; and its junction with the head scarce dis- 
tinguishable; and the last always hangs down. 
The circumference of the body near the shoul- 
ders is twelve feet; about the belly twenty; near 
the tail only four feet eight inches: the head 
thirty-one inches : the neck near seven feet ; and 
from these measurements may be collected the 
deformity of the animal. Near the shoulders are 
two feet, or rather fins, which are only two feet 
two inches long, and have neither fingers nor 
nails: beneath they are concave, and covered 
with hard bristles; the tail is thick, strong, 
and horizontal, ending in a stiff black fin, and 
like the substance of whalebone, being much split 
on the fore part, and slightly forked ; but both 
ends are of equal length like the whale. 
The skin is very thick, hard, and black; and 
full of inequalities like the bark of oak ; and so 
hard as scarcely to be cut with an ax, and has no 
hair upon it: beneath the skin is a thick blubber, 
which is said to taste like oil of almonds. The 
