Measurement of The Whale’s Skeleton

           Inthefirstplace,Iwishtolaybeforeyouaparticular,plainstatement,touchingthelivingbulkofthisleviathan,whoseskeletonwearebrieflytoexhibit.Suchastatementmayproveusefulhere.

           AccordingtoacarefulcalculationIhavemade,andwhichIpartlybaseuponCaptainScoresby’sestimate,ofseventytonsforthelargestsizedGreenlandwhaleofsixtyfeetinlength;accordingtomycarefulcalculation,Isay,aSpermWhaleofthelargestmagnitude,betweeneighty-fiveandninetyfeetinlength,andsomethinglessthanfortyfeetinitsfullestcircumference,suchawhalewillweighatleastninetytons;sothat,reckoningthirteenmentoaton,hewouldconsiderablyoutweighthecombinedpopulationofawholevillageofonethousandonehundredinhabitants.

           Thinkyounotthenthatbrains,likeyokedcattle,shouldbeputtothisleviathan,tomakehimatallbudgetoanylandsman’simagination?

           Havingalreadyinvariouswaysputbeforeyouhisskull,spout-hole,jaw,teeth,tail,forehead,fins,anddiversotherparts,Ishallnowsimplypointoutwhatismostinterestinginthegeneralbulkofhisunobstructedbones.Butasthecolossalskullembracessoverylargeaproportionoftheentireextentoftheskeleton;asitisbyfarthemostcomplicatedpart;andasnothingistoberepeatedconcerningitinthischapter,youmustnotfailtocarryitinyourmind,orunderyourarm,asweproceed,otherwiseyouwillnotgainacompletenotionofthegeneralstructureweareabouttoview.

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