[PART II.]
THE INHABITANTS OF THE SEA.
[CHAP. VIII.]
THE CETACEANS.
General Remarks on the Organisation of the Cetaceans.—The Large Greenland Whale.—His Food and Enemies.—The Fin-Back or Rorqual.—The Antarctic Whale.—The Sperm-Whale.—The Unicorn Fish.—The Dolphin.—Truth and Fable.—The Porpoise.—The Grampus.—History of the Whale Fishery.
Of all the living creatures that people the immensity of ocean, the cetaceans, or the whale family, are the most perfect. Their anatomical construction renders them in many respects similar to man, and their heart is susceptible of a warmth of feeling unknown to the cold-blooded fishes; for the mother shows signs of attachment to her young, and forgets her own safety when some danger menaces her offspring. Like man, the cetaceans breathe through lungs, and possess a double heart, receiving and propelling streams of warm red blood. The anatomical structure of their pectoral fins bears great resemblance to that of the human arm, as the bony structure of those organs equally consists of a shoulder-blade, an upper arm, a radius and ulna, and five fingers.