as straight as an arrow, about the thickness of the small of a man's leg, wreathed in the manner we sometimes see twisted bars of iron: it tapers to a sharp point; and is whiter, heavier, and harder than ivory. It is generally seen to spring from the left side of the head directly forward in a straight line with the body; and its root enters into the socket above a foot and a half. Notwithstanding its appointments for combat, this long and pointed tusk, amazing strength, and matchless celerity, the Narwal is one of the most harmless and peaceful inhabitants of the ocean. It is seen constantly and inoffensively sporting among the other great monsters of the deep, no way attempting to injure them, but pleased in their company. The Greenlanders call the Narwal the forerunner of the whale; for wherever it is seen, the whale is shortly after sure to follow. This may arise as well from the natural passion for society in these animals, as from both living upon the same food, which are the insects described in the preceding section. These powerful fishes make war upon no other living creature; and, though furnished with instruments to spread general destruction, are as innocent and as peaceful as a drove of oxen. The Narwal is much swifter than the whale, and would never be taken by the fishermen but for those very tusks, which at first appear to be its principal defence. These animals are always seen in herds of several at a time; and whenever they are attacked, they crowd together in such a manner, that they are mutually embarrassed by their tusks. By these they are often locked together, and are prevented from sinking to the bottom. It seldom happens, therefore, but the fishermen make sure of one or two of the hindmost, which very well reward their trouble.

HAS several teeth in the under jaw, but none in the upper. As there are no less than seven distinctions among whales, so also there are the same number of distinctions in the tribe we are describing. This tribe is not of such enormous size as the whale, properly so called, not being above sixty feet long and sixteen feet high. In consequence of their being more slender, they are much more active than the common whale; they remain a longer time at the bottom, and afford a smaller quantity of oil. As in the common whale the head was seen to make a third part of its bulk, so in this species the head is so large as to make one half of the whole. Their throats are much wider than those of the common whale, as may be judged from the fact, that the remains of sharks more than twelve feet long have been found in their stomachs. The Cachalot is as destructive among the lesser fishes as the whale is harmless; and can at one gulp swallow a shoal of fishes down its enormous gullet. Linnæus tells us that this fish pursues and terrifies the dolphins and porpesses so much, as often to drive them on shore.

But, how formidable soever this fish may be to its fellows of the deep, it is by far the most valuable, and the most sought after by man, as it contains two very valuable

drugs, spermaceti and ambergris: the whole oil of this fish is very easily convertible into spermaceti. This is performed by boiling it with a lye of potash, and hardening it in the manner of soap. Candles are now made of it, which are substituted for wax, and sold much cheaper.

As to the ambergris which is sometimes found in this whale, it was long considered as a substance found floating on the surface of the sea; but time, that reveals the secrets of the mercenary, has discovered that it chiefly belongs to this animal. The name, which has been improperly given to the former substance, seems more justly to belong to this; for the ambergris is found in the place where the seminal vessels are usually situated in other animals. It is found in a bag of three or four feet long, in round lumps, from one to twenty pounds weight, floating in a fluid rather thinner than oil, and of a yellowish colour.. There are never seen more than four at a time in one of these bags; and that which weighed twenty pounds, and which was the largest ever seen, was found single. These balls of ambergris are not found in all fishes of this kind, but chiefly in the oldest and strongest.

The blunt-headed Cachalot is fifty-four feet in length. Its greatest circumference is just beyond the eyes, and is thirty feet. The upper jaw is five feet longer than the lower, which is ten feet. The head is above one third the size of the fish. The end of the upper jaw is blunt, and near nine feet high, the spout hole placed near the end of it. The teeth are placed in the lower jaw, twenty-three on each side, all pointing outwards, and in the upper jaw, opposite, are a number of holes to receive them when the mouth is closed; they are about eighteen inches long.

The Spermaceti Cachalot is found in greatest abundance in the Pacific Ocean, where large numbers of them are an

nually killed by the American and other whalers, for the sake of their oil and spermaceti.

The Spermaceti Cachalot is gregarious, and herds are frequently seen containing two hundred or more individuals.

The mode of attacking these animals is as follows:Whenever a number of them are seen, four boats, each provided with two or three lines, two harpoons, four lances, and a crew of six men, proceed in pursuit, and, if possible, each boat strikes or "fastens to " a distinct animal, and each crew kill their own. When engaged in distant pursuit, the harpooner generally steers the boat, and in such cases the proper boat steerer occasionally strikes, but the harpooner mostly kills it. If one Cachalot of a herd is struck, it commonly takes the lead and is followed by the rest. The one which is struck, seldom descends far under water, but generally swims off with great rapidity, stopping after a short course, so that the boat can be drawn up to it by the line, or be rowed sufficiently near to lance it. In the agonies of death, the struggles of the animal are truly tremendous, and the surface of the ocean is lashed into foam by the motions of the fins and tail. Tall jets of blood are discharged from the blowholes, which show that the wounds have taken mortal effect, and seeing this, the boats are kept aloof, lest they should be dashed to pieces by the violent efforts of the victim.

When a herd is attacked in this way, ten or twelve of the number are killed; those which are only wounded are rarely captured. After the Cachalot is killed, the boats tow it to the side of the ship, and if the weather be fine, and other objects of chase in view, they are again sent to the attack.

About three tons of oil are commonly obtained from a large Cachalot; from one to two tons are procured from a

small one. A cargo, produced from one hundred Cachalots may be from 150 to 200 tons of oil, besides the spermaceti, &c.

The SMALL-EYED, or BLACK-HEADED, SPERMACETI WHALE is one of the most formidable monsters of the deep. It has an enormous dark coloured head, armed with twenty-one projecting teeth on each side of the jaw. In a full grown specimen these teeth are nine inches in length. This Whale is often more than fifty feet in length, and is uncommonly active. Sharks, dolphins, and porpesses fall an easy prey to it.

THE GRAMPUS, THE DOLPHIN, AND THE PORPESSE.

ALL these fish have teeth both in the upper and lower jaw, and are much less than the whale. The Grampus, which is the largest, seldom exceeds twenty-four feet in length. It is a clumsy, unsightly fish, dark on the upper part, but very white below. The lower jaw is considerably wider than the upper. The back fin sometimes measures six feet. The Grampus is an exceedingly voracious animal, which does not always spare even its own kind. Packs of them are said to attack the Greenland whale, like bull dogs, and tear off his flesh in masses, It, however, displays the utmost solicitude and affection for its young. Little oil is afforded by the Grampus. It floats deep in the water, and would seldom be caught, did not its eagerness for prey prompt it to rush into shallow waters, where it is killed, but not till it has made a desperate and formidable resistance.