W H A 
zone, where tliey remain untnolefted, they are ftill 
difcovered one hundred and fixty feet in length. 
The Whale is a large, heavy animal; the head 
alone conftituting a third part of it's bulk. The 
under lip is much broader than the upper ; the 
tongue is compofed of a foft fpongy fat, capable of 
yielding five or fix barrels of blubber; but the gul- 
let is very fmall for fo large a fifh, not exceeding 
four inches in width. There are two orifices in the 
middle of the head, through which it fpouts water 
to a vaft diftance, and with a great noife, efpe- 
cial-ly when difturbed or wounded. The eyes, 
which are not fuperior in fize to thofe of an ox, 
are placed towards the back of the head ; by which 
means they are capable of difcerning objefts both 
before and behind. There is no dorfal fin; but 
on the fides, beneath each eye, there are two large 
ones. The tail is broad and femilunar; and, 
when the fifh refls on one fide, it's blow is amaz- 
ingly powerful. 
The colour of the Common Whale is not uni- 
form; the back of fome being red, and the belly 
generally white. Some are black, others mottled, 
and fome quite white; according to Marten, who 
informs us that their colours in the water are ex- 
tremely beautiful, and their Ikins very fmooth and 
flippery. The fubftance known by the appella- 
tion of Whale-bone adheres to the upper jaw of 
the animal; and is compofed of thin parallel la- 
mina, fome of the longed being four yards in ex- 
tent. Of thefe there are commonly three hundred 
and fifty on each fide; and, in old fifli, a great 
many more: about five hundred are of a proper 
length for ufe; but the reft are too Ihort to be fer- 
viceable. They are furrounded with long ftrong 
hair, not only to hinder their injuring the tongue, 
but as ftrainers, to prevent the return of their food 
when they difcharge the water out of their mouths. 
On account of thefe hairs, Ariftotle gave this fpe- 
ciesthe appellation of the Bearded Whale, which 
he informs us has hairs in it's mouth inftead of 
teeth : and Pliny defcribes the fame under the name 
of Mufculus. From this and other circumftances we 
may infer, that though the ancients were ac- 
quainted with thefe animals, they were ignorant of 
many of their qualities, and of all their ufes, as 
well as the manner of catching them. Aldro- 
vandus, indeed, defcribes from Oppian, what he 
has miftaken for Whale-fifhing: he feems to have 
been led into an error by the word Ketos, which 
is ufed not only to exprcfs Whales in general, but 
alfo any great fifli. The poet, in the pafTage al- 
luded to, undoubtedly meant the fhark; and fhews 
the way of taking it at prefent, namely, by a ftrong 
hook baited with flefli. 
Though an animal of fuch magnitude, the 
Whale fwims with vaft fwiftnefs, and generally 
againft the wind. It ufes it's tail only to help it- 
felf forward in the water : this ferves as an oar to 
pufh it along; it's enormous bulk cuts through the 
ocean with amazing force and celerity; and it's 
fins are principally ufed for turning in the water, 
and giving a direftion to the velocity imprefled 
by the tail. 
As Whales refemble quadrupeds in their con- 
formation, fo they likewife ftrongly refemble them 
in fome of their appetites and manners. The fe- 
female joins with the male, as it is alTifted more 
humane, and once every two years feels the accelTes 
of defire. 
The fidelity of thefe animals to each other ex- 
ceeds whatever is related of even the conftancy of 
WH A 
birds. Anderfon informs us> that fome fifhel-nien 
having ftruck one of two Whales in compariyi a 
male and a female, the wounded fifh made a long 
and terrible refiftance; andj with one ftroke of it's 
tail, overturned a boat with three men in it, and 
fent them all to the bottom. The other ftill at- 
tended it's companion, affording it all the affiftance 
in it's power; till at laft the mangled fifh funk un- 
der the number of it's wounds ; while it's faithful 
afTociate, as if difdaining to furvive the lofs, with 
dreadful bellowing and lamentation ftretched it- 
felf on the dead fifli, and in this fituation fhared 
it's fate. 
The period of the female's geftation is about 
nine or ten months : fhe is then fatter than ufual, 
particularly when near the time of parturition. Ic 
is faid that the embryo, when firft perceptible, is 
about feventeen inches long, and of a white colour; 
but the cub, when excluded, is black, and about 
ten feet long. She generally produces one, and 
never above two young. When fhe fuckles them, 
fhe throws herfelf on one fide on the furface of 
the fea, and they attach themfelves to her teats. 
Her breafts are generally hid within her belly; 
but fhe can produce them at pleafure, fo as to 
projedt forward a foot and a half, or even two feet. 
The teats refemble thofe of a cow. In fome, the 
breafts are white; in others, fpeckled; but in all, 
filled with a large quantity of milk refembling 
that of land animals. 
Nothing can exceed the tendernefs of the fe- 
male for her offspring: fhe carries it with her 
wherever fhe goes; keeps it fupported between 
her fins when purfued; even when wounded, fhe 
ftill clafps her young one; and, as often as fhe 
plunges to avoid danger, takes it with her to the 
bottom, but rifes fooner than ufual, in order to 
give it breath again. 
The young of the Whale continue one year at 
the breaft; during which time they are by failors 
called fhort heads. They are then extremely fat, 
and yield above fifty barrels of blubber. The 
mother is at the fame time equally lean and ema- 
ciated. At the age of two years they are called 
ftunts, as they do not feem to grow fo rapidly after 
quitting the breaft, and then fcarcely yield above 
twenty or twenty-four barrels of blubber. From 
that time forward they receive the general appel- 
lation of fkull-fifh ; and their age is wholly un- 
known. 
Every fpecies of the Whale propagates only 
with it's own kind, fo that each is prefervcd di- 
ftinft: however, they are generally feen in fhoals, 
of different kinds together; and they perform their 
migrations from one ocean to another in large 
companies. They are gregarious animals ; which 
implies their want of mutual defence againft the 
attacks of fmaller, but more powerful fifhes. It 
is aftonifhing, therefore, how a fhoal of thefe enor- 
mous animals find fubfiftence together, when it 
would feem that the fupplying even one with food 
required greater plenty than the ocean could fur- 
nifh. But our wonder is increafed, when we not 
only fee them herding together, but ufually find 
thern in better condition than any other animals of 
whatever element. We likewife evidently difco- 
ver, that they cannot fwallow large fifhes, as their 
throats are fo very narrow, that any animal larger 
than a herring could not find admiflion. How 
then do they fubfift, and grow fo fat? Small in- 
fe6ts; feen floating in the feas where they abound, 
: and , to which Lin nicus gives the appellation of 
Medufas, 
