Extracts. — Natural History. 521 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
The Whai.E Tribe. — It is in the Order Cetdcnu, that we find the largest ani- 
mals ; and the Whale genus forms the most stupendous in the whole range of 
animated nature. They generally congregate in numbers. The male never 
abandons the female, which suckles her young until the birtii of its successor. 
Smell. — The great developement of the nasal bones, and the power of the organ 
of smelling, enable these animals to scent odorous bodies at a great distance. 
Non-ea>istence of Teeth. — Their being devoid of teeth forms a distinctive charac- 
teristic of the Whales from the other Cetuceu : instead of teeth they have a series 
of laminro, or layers, of a substance resembling horn, denominated baleen, (erro- 
neously called whalebone,) which is supposed to serve to retain their food. 
I'ision. — The eyes are well adapted for the element which Whales inhabit : not- 
withstanding the immense size of the animal, the whole diameter of each ocular 
globe does not exceed three inches, in fact, about the size of an orange j and 
according to Baron Cuvier, the crystalline lens is not larger than a pea when it is 
dried. The situation of the eyes renders them capable of seeing objects either 
before, behind, or above the head. They are guarded by eye-lids and eye-lashes. 
Hearing. — The organ of hearing is nearly as acute as those of vision : they have 
no external ear, and the opening leading to the internal, is almost imperceptible. 
When the delicate external scarf-skin is removed, a black spot is discovered 
behind the eye, beneath which is the canal leading to the organ of hearing. 
Touch. — No portion of the Whale has as yet been discovered by Zootomists, to 
which this organ can be referred ; yet it is generally supposed to have great sen- 
sibility of feeling. The ^rai/;, like the eye, is very small in proportion to its 
bulk. In an animal 19 feet long, and 11,200 lb weight, butSfHi of brain was 
found, being but -_L^ part of the entire body, whilst that of an adult man is 
equal to -j'-j. part of his body. The month is generally of a serpentine form . 
The lips are about^20 or 25 feet long. Duhamel-Dumonceau relates, that one, cap- 
tured in the bay of Sonsure, in 1726, had a mouth so wide, that when open 2 men 
might walk in without stooping. Baleen, or fVhalchones, are suspended from 
the bone named by the seamen the crown-bone, which forms the upper part of the 
mouth. Each of these laminse is composed of a species of stiff hair, or bristle, 
uhited longitudinally, and placed side by side, and united at the origin by a 
species of rabbet, with a tasteless gum-like substance. The laminse vary in num- 
ber from 300 to 400 on each side, and are of a bluish black cols.ur. The milk, 
according to Dr. Jenuer, who tasted it, is rich, well flavoured, and nutritious, 
containing more cream than that of quadrupeds. I'elocit;/. — Whales descend 
with immense velocity, frequently to the depth of 300 or 400 fathoms in the space 
of 5 or 6 minutes, and are capable of ascending at a similar rate. The colour 
of them, whilst sucklings, is pale blue, or bluish grey, afterwards of a bluish-black, 
and when old, of a blackish-grey, mixed with white. Blood. — A much greater 
quantity circulates in the Whale, than in quadrupeds, the diameter of the aorta, 
or large artery, arising from the heart, being more than 13 inches ; and the late 
Mr. J. Hunter estimated the quantity thrown into it, at every contraction, to Vary 
from 10 to 15 gallons, and that with immense velocity. Pectoral Fi/;^.— The 
fins (or swimming paws, as they are called,) are placed on each side the chest, and 
contain bones similar to the anterior extremity of digitated animals, strongly en- 
veloped in strong condensed adipose membranes, of a semi-cartilaginous substance. 
Longevitt/. — It is presumed that individuals of the larger species may have lived 
more than 1000 years '. 
Vol. I, No. 11. 3t 
