140 
natural history. 
an orifan, the greatest in the middle, and the smallest on the 
sides° These compose the whale- bone, the longest spars of 
which are found to be not less than eighteen feet, lhe 
ton<nte is almost immoveably fixed to the lower jaw, seem- 
in«r one great lump of fat ; and, in fact, it fills seveial hogs-^ 
heads with blubber. The eyes are not larger than those ot 
an ox ; and when the crystalline humour is dried, it does 
not appear larger than a pea. They are placed towards the 
back of the head, being the most convenient situation for 
enabling them to see both before anti behind \ as mso it) 
see over them, where their food is principally found, ihey 
are guarded by eye-lids and eye-lashes, as in quadrupeds ; 
and°they seem to be very sharp-sighted. 
Nor is their sense of hearing in less perfection ; for they 
are warned, at great distances, of any danger preparing 
ao-ainst them. We have already observed, that the sub- 
stance, called whalebone, is taken from the upper jaw of the 
animal, and is very different from the real hones of the 
whale. The real bones are hard, like those of great land 
animals, are very porous, and filled with marrow. 1 wo 
erreat strong bones sustain the under lip, lying against each 
other in the shape of an half-moon; some of these aie 
twenty feet long ; they are seen in several gardens set up 
against each oilier, and are usually mistaken loi the libs. 
°The fidelity of these animals to each other exceeds vvliat- 
ever we are told of even the constancy of birds. Some 
fishers, as Anderson informs us, having struck one of two 
whales, a male and a female, that were in company together, 
the wounded fish made a long and terrible resistance: it 
struck down a boat with three men in it, wither single blow 
of the tail, by which all went to the bottom. The other still 
attended its companion, and lent it every assistance ; till, 
at last, the fish that was struck sunk under the number ot 
its wounds ; while its faithful associate, disdaining to stn- 
vive the loss, with great bellowing, stretched itself upon the 
dead fish, and shared his fate. 
The whale goes with young nine or ten months, and is 
then fatter than usual, particularly when near the time of 
bringing forth. The young ones continue at the bieast foi 
a year ; during which time they are called by the sailors 
short-heads. They are then extremely fat, and yield above 
fitly barrels of blubber. The mother, at the same time, is 
equally lean and emaciated. At the age of two years they 
are called stunts, as they do not thrive much immediately 
after quitting the breast: they then yield scarce above 
twenty, or twenty-four barrels of blubber: from that time 
forward thev are called skull-fish , and their age is wholly 
