NARWHAL, 
381 
resembles! in every respect the tusks of a boar, or 
an elephant ; it rises like them* from a socket in 
the jaw ; it is of the same strong substance* and 
possesses the same solidity. Willoughby regards 
it as the only real example of an unicorn afforded 
by nature ; and after a minute examination of all 
the substances that are imposed upon the public, 
for the horns of the unicorn* he pronounces them 
impositions on the credulity of mankind. 
This naturalist had the greater merit in making 
a discovery of this nature* because in his time the 
capture of whales was not very frequent* and the 
means of detection were proportionably few 7 in 
number. The tooth of the narwhal about a cen- 
tury ago was universally ascribed to some land 
animal : it had often been dug up among fossil 
substances* and from that circumstance it was 
naturally bestowed upon a terrestrial owner. Pliny 
had long ago described an animal resembling a 
horse* with a single horn spring from tbe middle 
of its forehead. Upon this animal* wdiieh a far- 
ther knowledge of nature has proved to be ficti- 
tious* the tooth of the narwhal w f as unanimously 
conferred; and the finding of so precious a regain, 
was considered as a fortunate incident* that af- 
forded a strong testimony of the veracity of that 
historian. 
But it was not the curiosity of mankind alone, 
nor the rareness of the object* and the singularity 
of its form, that brought the narwhal’s tooth into 
such high repute in the different countries of 
Europe. A medicine was prepared from it, w hich 
was long given out by the quacks as an infallible 
specific against poison* and malignant fevers. 
At length* however* these frauds were detected 
and exposed by one of the privy counsellors, who 
had a concern in the whale fishery, and received 
by the return of his own vessels a number of those 
