Structure and Oeconomy of Whales. -95 
but tears eafilv ; nor do its fibres appear to have any particular 
direction. The internal ftratum is tough and thick, and in the 
Spermaceti Whale its internal furface, when feparated from 
the cutis, is juft like coarfe velvet, each pile (landing firm in 
its place ; but this is not fo diftinguifhable in fome of the 
others, although it appears rough from the innumerable per- 
forations. 
It is the cuticle that gives the colour to the animal ; and in - 
parts that are dark, I think, I have feen a dirty coloured 
fubftance walked away in the feparation of the cuticle from the; 
cutis, which muft be a kind of rete mucofum. 
The cutis in this tribe is extremely villous on its external” 
furface, anfwering to the rough furface of the cuticle, and form- 
ing in fome parts fmall ridges, fimilar to thofe on the human, 
fingers and toes. Thefe villi are foft and pliable; they float in 
water, and each is longer or fhorter according to the fize of the> 
animal. In the Spermaceti Whale they were about a quarter 
of an inch long; in the Grampus, Bottle-nofe and Piked 
Whales, much fhorter ; in all, they are extremely vafcular. 
The cutis feems to be the termination of the cellular mem* 
brane of the body more clofely united, having fmaller inter- 
ftices, and becoming more compact. This alteration in ths 
texture is fo fudden as to make an evident diftin&ion between 
what is folely connefting membrane, and fkin,and is mod evi- 
dent in lean animals; for in the change from fat to lean, ths 
Ik in does not undergo an alteration equal to what takes place 
in the adipofe membrane, although it may be obferved, that 
the fkin itfelf is diminilhed in thicknefs. In fat animals the dif- 
tin&ion between (kin and cellular membrane is much lefs, the gra- 
dation from the one to the other feeming to be flower ; for the 
cells of both membrane and Ikin being loaded with fat, the whole 
has 
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