VOYAGE TO GREENLAND. 
77 
and a quarter, a size very rarely seen ; the extreme 
length of the fish, fifty-two feet ; and the extent of 
the tail, twenty-one feet. 
Among the subjects of natural history found in 
these regions, is the Oniscus ceti, vulgarly called the 
whale-louse. We saw several of these animals upon 
the body and jaws of this whale ; they are abou^ 
the size of a very small crab, and covered with re- 
markably hard scales, the head being similar to that 
of the Pedkulus humanus, with four horns, two of 
which serve as feelers ; the other two are hard, 
curved, and serve as clinches, to fix the animals to 
the subject which they attack : underneath the chest 
they have two carvers, like scythes, with which 
they collect their food ; and behind these are four 
feet that serve the purpose of oars ; they have six 
other clinches behind, with which they rivet them- 
selves so fast to the whale, that they cannot be dis- 
engaged, but by cutting out the part to which they 
are affixed: they are joined in the back similarly to 
those of the lobster, and the tail covers them like a 
shield. 
The waste of the ship being almost filled 
May 29 . blubber, thrown in at the flincing 
of the three whales which we had now taken, the 
uncommon fineness of the day was an inducement to 
proceed to the business of paring and barrelling it, 
which is termed making off:'' for this purpose, 
the ship was moored to a piece of ice, when, the 
water being exceedingly clear, we had an opportu- 
nity of estimating its depth below the surface. On 
