WE -COMMON WHALE. 
57 
About four yards diftant from each other appear 
the eyes, externally not larger than thofe of an ox, but 
conllituting a pretty large ball within. This picturelque 
vifage is rendered tremenduous by the large opening of 
the mouth, which, when the jaws are extended, is no lefs 
than eighteen feet wide*. On the back of this animal 
there is no fin : but the two lateral ones are exceedingly 
l ar ge ; and with them, as we have feen, it fupports its 
young. The tail is broad, femilunar and horizontal ; it 
ls of fuch vaft ftrength,that by a ftroke of it upon the fur- 
face, the water is fo much agitated, as to overfet a boat 
tf it is near. The penis is included in a flrong {heath, 
a nd is feven feet in length f. 
The colour of whales varies very much ; the back be- 
ln g in fome red, and the* belly generally white. Some 
a re marbled with black and white, while others are en- 
tirely black, and fome white. Their Ikin is fmooth and 
fiippery, and their colours in the water are extremely 
ksautiful. In the belly of one defcribed by Rcndcleiius 
there was found no kind of filh, only a fort of mucus, 
foam, water, and fea weed. 
the Fin Fi/h t. 
This fpecies is diftinguifhed from the common whale 
liy the fin upon the back, placed low, and near the tail §. 
ft is fometimes found in the Briti/h, but is more fre- 
quent in thofe trails of the northern ocean, where the 
Vol. III. H whale 
* Id «n ubi fupra. f Britxfli Zool. 
} Le Gibbar. Britfon. Balajua Phyfalus. Linnieus 
5 B.-itiflj Zool. 
