r 
123 
noise of these Harpies . We brought it 
along side, and stripped it of its remain¬ 
ing blubber. 
22d, After having stripped off the 
blubber, we sailed north-east: the sea 
was clear of ice, and the weather serene. 
A distant view of the Icebergs reflecting 
the rays of the sun, added an inexpres¬ 
sible beauty and grandeur to the scene. 
They had all the appearance of illumi¬ 
nated Gothic castles, and realized the 
magnificence of fairy scenes. 
23d, Killed a large whale. This ani¬ 
mal, the largest with which men are as 
yet acquainted, is of that genus of fish 
termed cetaceous. Some classifiers of 
animals, because the cetaceous fish 
breathe by lungs, and not gills, and be¬ 
cause they suckle their young, have, by 
a learned absurdity, ranked them among 
quadrupeds. It is needless, however, to 
say, that they want the distinguishing 
#nd decisive characteristics of quadra- 
