NARWHAL.
THE WHITE WHALE, OR BELUGA.[248]—In September, 1877, a White Whale nine feet and a half long, which had been captured on the coast of Labrador, arrived at the Westminster Aquarium. Though not of the largest size—for they attain a length of even sixteen feet—this example nevertheless was characteristic. Symmetrical in form, creamy white in colour, without dorsal fin, with short stumpy flippers, and a bulging-rounded forehead, there could be no mistaking the species. Unfortunately it lived but a few days, though Mr. Barnum was more fortunate in keeping these creatures alive in a tank in his museum at New York. The dental formula of the Beluga is 8–8 8–8 = 32; or 10–10 10–10 = 40; the small conical teeth are implanted only in the front of the jaws, and frequently drop out early in life. It is abundant over a wide area of the northern regions, and is very partial to ascending rivers after fish, for a long distance. Dall records one taken 700 miles up the Yukon river, and Nordmann mentions that it ascends the river Amoor. It is well known in the St. Lawrence and Labrador coasts, as also in the White Sea, where there is a regular White Whale fishery; but withal it is truly a Greenland Cetacean, being found there all the year round. Like the Narwhal it is very gregarious, sportive, and migrates in numbers, both sexes associating in the droves. It is fearless and inquisitive, approaching the ship with an easy roll, occasionally emitting a whistling sound; hence seamen call them “sea canaries.” The female gives birth to a young one in the spring months, and this is of a bluish-grey colour, paling with age. Their docility and indeed intelligence, when captured, are well illustrated by one in America, which was trained to draw a car round the tank. It recognised its keeper, and allowed itself to be freely handled. It would play with a Sturgeon and a small Shark as a Cat would with a Mouse, but without injuring them; at other moments it would splash about and toss stones with its mouth. The Greenlanders dry their flesh for winter use, hoard their oil, and capture them by nets at the entrance of the fjords and inlets whenever chance permits. Five hundred or more every year are thus obtained. Dr. Rae says that the Beluga is similarly caught by nets in the St. Lawrence. The Indians also paint their canoes white and sail promiscuously among them, harpooning betimes. Every part of the animal is valuable to the natives of the north, the skin being manufactured into capital leather. A white Porpoise-looking Whale visits Amoy and other southerly harbours of China, but it is a true Dolphin (D. sinensis), and not a Beluga.
NARWHAL WITH THE TWO TUSKS DEVELOPED.
THE NARWHAL, OR SEA-UNICORN.[249]—Of all Whales this is the most unique on account of its so-called horn, or rather tusk, or, still better, enormously-developed canine tooth. Most museums contain examples of this extraordinary object, which seems like a solid rod of ivory, tapers from root to tip, has a kind of striated spiral surface, and is often from five to seven feet or more in length, thus being the longest tooth in the Mammalia. The adult animals vary from ten to sixteen feet long, and, like the Beluga, have a blunt short head, no dorsal fin, and very small flippers. It is essentially a northern form, inasmuch as it frequents the coasts of Greenland, Spitzbergen, and Siberia, though occasionally met with off Scandinavia and Britain, its favourite haunts, however, being 70° to 80° N. lat. It travels in great herds, and Dr. R. Brown avers that he saw thousands in their summer migrations following tusk to tusk and tail to tail like a regiment of cavalry, and swimming with perfect, regular, undulating movements. These herds are of both sexes. The Narwhals have grey backs, mottled with black, the sides and belly paling downwards to white, and equally spotted with grey or darker tint. The females are more spotted than the males, the young are darker, but some animals are much paler than others. The crescentic blowhole externally is single. Occasionally they utter a gurgling noise. In the stomachs of captured Narwhals, fish-bones, Crustaceans, Molluscs, and Cuttle-fish remains have been found. They swim with great velocity, and are most active creatures. They dash and sport about apparently with much glee, and Scoresby says that in their playful moments they parry horns as if fencing. He suggests that the horn may be used for spearing fish, as he found a large flat Skate in the stomach of one. Others imagine that it may be for stirring up food from the bottom; but it has been very deftly remarked that the female would thus fare badly, seeing she is destitute of the tooth in question. Fabricius’ view, that it was to keep the ice-holes open during the winter, has a touch of truth in it, inasmuch as one among other instances has been recorded where it usefully supplied such a purpose. Dr. R. Brown mentions that in 1860 a Greenlander observed in a hole in the ice hundreds of Narwhals and White Whales protruding their heads to breathe. It was likened to an Arctic Black Hole of Calcutta, so eager were the creatures pushing towards it. The natives gathered around, harpooned and shot the creatures by the dozen, though many were lost, such was the scramble. The Narwhal possesses only two teeth: the greatly-developed or left canine, and within the jaw on the right side the rudiment of a similar tooth which seldom is protruded; although in certain rare cases, instead of one, the two tusks are developed. Along the jaw or gum there is a scolloped appearance foreshadowing as it were teeth. In the palace of Rosenberg, Dr. R. Brown states, there is a throne manufactured of Narwhal ivory, and Captain Scoresby had a bedstead made of the same substance. A Greenlander’s dainty is Narwhal skin boiled to a jelly, this dish of mattak being a bonne bouche offered to strangers. The oil is very superior, the flesh extremely palatable. Though so peculiar in appearance and dentition, this veritable unicorn in all other structural peculiarities is truly a Dolphin.
THE WHALEBONE WHALES (MYSTICETE).
These are distinguished from the Toothed Whales by their great upper jaws being provided with baleen plates instead of teeth; in early life, however, rudimentary teeth occasionally are present, but these never project beyond the gums. Their skulls are symmetrical and not distorted as in the Denticete. The organ of smell is distinctly developed, and there is a double aperture to the blowhole. The separate bones in the lower jaw arch widely outwards. The upper jaws are relatively narrow and project forward at the same time with a great fore and aft arch, but are encompassed by the lower jaw arches. The head is proportionally of immense size, and admits of an extraordinarily capacious mouth. The palate is but a narrow median line, and the huge mouth little else than an enormous dome of whalebone plates whose inner lower margins are frayed. Thus while the whalebone is longer than the depth of the closed mouth, it nevertheless is accommodated by being tucked in below at its flexible extremities. A great broad massive tongue fills the interspace between the lower jaws. From this peculiar mouth-formation, the bony area of and around the brain-pan is relatively small.
MEDIAN SECTION SHOWING INSIDE LEFT HALF OF SKULL OF WHALEBONE WHALE, WITH BALEEN IN POSITION. (Modified after Eschricht.)
Br, brain cavity; J, J*, upper and lower jaw-bones, bo, bo, being roughened parts of bone sawn through; arrows indicate narial passages, which open at s, spout-hole; w, whalebone; t, tongue in dotted outline; n, nerve aperture lower jaw.