. Chapters on the natural history of the United States. Zoology. OF THE UNITED STATES 383 that ever plowed the ocean, and devour the carcass afterward, piecemeal; they are also very destructive of the seals about the islands inhabited by those valuable animals, and according to Professor Goode, Eschricht says that thirteen porpoises and four- teen seals were found in the stomach of an Atlantic Killer, six- teen feet in length. The Blackfiskes (Fig. 95) are a medium-sized whale that range over their oceanic habitat in schools sometimes numbering sev- eral hundreds; they are not especially valua
. Chapters on the natural history of the United States. Zoology. OF THE UNITED STATES 383 that ever plowed the ocean, and devour the carcass afterward, piecemeal; they are also very destructive of the seals about the islands inhabited by those valuable animals, and according to Professor Goode, Eschricht says that thirteen porpoises and four- teen seals were found in the stomach of an Atlantic Killer, six- teen feet in length. The Blackfiskes (Fig. 95) are a medium-sized whale that range over their oceanic habitat in schools sometimes numbering sev- eral hundreds; they are not especially valuable to the whalers, but are mercilessly preyed upon by the Killer whales. Rarer than the last-mentioned species, though often associated with them, are the Grampuses (), a smaller whale than they though with very similar habits, and we are told that they make their appearance in our waters only about once in ten years. Professor Flower has proved beyond all manner of doubt that the. Fig. 96. The Grampus {Grampus griseus). By the Author, after Elliott. Length of adult, 20 feet. fantastic markings on the body of this animal are normal and are not due to scars from conflicts with their fellows or other species. A fine cast of a Grampus may be seen and studied at the Smith- sonian Institution, where it used to surmount the doorway of the main entrance, down-stairs. One of the most interesting of all Cetaceans is the Narwhal (Fig. 100), an animal which stands responsible for the Unicorn of fancy, and which is now restricted in its range to the northern shores of our Alaskan territories. The spiral tusk growing from the left side of its upper jaw is a modified tooth which may at- tain a length of eight or ten feet. It is absent in the female, the sex being practically toothless, or at least the teeth are con- cealed in the jaw as is the case on the right side in the male Nar- whal. This tusk is without enamel, and a single one is valued at |50, the ivory being put to a variety
Size: 2825px × 885px
Photo credit: © The Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1897
