English
Ihavegivennosmallattentiontothatnotunvexedsubject,theskinofthewhale.
Ihavehadcontroversiesaboutitwithexperiencedwhalemenafloat,andlearnednaturalistsashore.
Myoriginalopinionremainsunchanged;butitisonlyanopinion.
Thequestionis,whatandwhereistheskinofthewhale.Alreadyyouknowwhathisblubberis.
Thatblubberissomethingoftheconsistenceoffirm,close-grainedbeef,buttougher,moreelasticandcompact,andrangesfromeightortentotwelveandfifteeninchesinthickness.
Now,howeverpreposterousitmayatfirstseemtotalkofanycreature’sskinasbeingofthatsortofconsistenceandthickness,yetinpointoffactthesearenoargumentsagainstsuchapresumption;becauseyoucannotraiseanyotherdenseenvelopinglayerfromthewhale’sbodybutthatsameblubber;andtheoutermostenvelopinglayerofanyanimal,ifreasonablydense,whatcanthatbebuttheskin?
True,fromtheunmarreddeadbodyofthewhale,youmayscrapeoffwithyourhandaninfinitelythin,transparentsubstance,somewhatresemblingthethinnestshredsofisinglass,onlyitisalmostasflexibleandsoftassatin;thatis,previoustobeingdried,whenitnotonlycontractsandthickens,butbecomesratherhardandbrittle.
Ihaveseveralsuchdriedbits,whichIuseformarksinmywhale-books.
Itistransparent,asIsaidbefore;andbeinglaidupontheprintedpage,Ihavesometimespleasedmyselfwithfancyingitexertedamagnifyinginfluence.
Atanyrate,itispleasanttoreadaboutwhalesthroughtheirownspectacles,asyoumaysay.ButwhatIamdrivingathereisthis.
Thatsameinfinitelythin,isinglasssubstance,which,Iadmit,investstheentirebodyofthewhale,isnotsomuchtoberegardedastheskinofthecreature,astheskinoftheskin,sotospeak;foritweresimplyridiculoustosay,thattheproperskinofthetremendouswhaleisthinnerandmoretenderthantheskinofanew-bornchild.Butnomoreofthis.
Assumingtheblubbertobetheskinofthewhale;then,whenthisskin,asinthecaseofaverylargeSpermWhale,willyieldthebulkofonehundredbarrelsofoil;and,whenitisconsideredthat,inquantity,orratherweight,thatoil,initsexpressedstate,isonlythreefourths,andnottheentiresubstanceofthecoat;someideamayhencebehadoftheenormousnessofthatanimatedmass,amerepartofwhosemereintegumentyieldssuchalakeofliquidasthat.
Reckoningtenbarrelstotheton,youhavetentonsforthenetweightofonlythreequartersofthestuffofthewhale’sskin.
Inlife,thevisiblesurfaceoftheSpermWhaleisnottheleastamongthemanymarvelshepresents.
Almostinvariablyitisalloverobliquelycrossedandre-crossedwithnumberlessstraightmarksinthickarray,somethinglikethoseinthefinestItalianlineengravings.
Butthesemarksdonotseemtobeimpressedupontheisinglasssubstanceabovementioned,butseemtobeseenthroughit,asiftheywereengraveduponthebodyitself.Noristhisall.
Insomeinstances,tothequick,observanteye,thoselinearmarks,asinaveritableengraving,butaffordthegroundforfarotherdelineations.
Thesearehieroglyphical;thatis,ifyoucallthosemysteriouscyphersonthewallsofpyramidshieroglyphics,thenthatistheproperwordtouseinthepresentconnexion.
BymyretentivememoryofthehieroglyphicsupononeSpermWhaleinparticular,IwasmuchstruckwithaplaterepresentingtheoldIndiancharacterschiselledonthefamoushieroglyphicpalisadesonthebanksoftheUpperMississippi.
Likethosemysticrocks,too,themystic-markedwhaleremainsundecipherable.
ThisallusiontotheIndianrocksremindsmeofanotherthing.
BesidesalltheotherphenomenawhichtheexterioroftheSpermWhalepresents,henotseldomdisplaystheback,andmoreespeciallyhisflanks,effacedingreatpartoftheregularlinearappearance,byreasonofnumerousrudescratches,altogetherofanirregular,randomaspect.
IshouldsaythatthoseNewEnglandrocksontheseacoast,whichAgassizimaginestobearthemarksofviolentscrapingcontactwithvastfloatingicebergs-Ishouldsay,thatthoserocksmustnotalittleresembletheSpermWhaleinthisparticular.
Italsoseemstomethatsuchscratchesinthewhaleareprobablymadebyhostilecontactwithotherwhales;forIhavemostremarkedtheminthelarge,full-grownbullsofthespecies.
Awordortwomoreconcerningthismatteroftheskinorblubberofthewhale.
Ithasalreadybeensaid,thatitisstriptfromhiminlongpieces,calledblanket-pieces.
Likemostsea-terms,thisoneisveryhappyandsignificant.
Forthewhaleisindeedwraptupinhisblubberasinarealblanketorcounterpane;or,stillbetter,anIndianponchosliptoverhishead,andskirtinghisextremity.
Itisbyreasonofthiscosyblanketingofhisbody,thatthewhaleisenabledtokeephimselfcomfortableinallweathers,inallseas,times,andtides.
WhatwouldbecomeofaGreenlandwhale,say,inthoseshuddering,icyseasoftheNorth,ifunsuppliedwithhiscosysurtout?
True,otherfisharefoundexceedinglybriskinthoseHyperboreanwaters;butthese,beitobserved,areyourcold-blooded,lunglessfish,whoseverybelliesarerefrigerators;creatures,thatwarmthemselvesundertheleeofaniceberg,asatravellerinwinterwouldbaskbeforeaninnfire;whereas,likeman,thewhalehaslungsandwarmblood.Freezehisblood,andhedies.
Howwonderfulisitthen-exceptafterexplanation-thatthisgreatmonster,towhomcorporealwarmthisasindispensableasitistoman;howwonderfulthatheshouldbefoundathome,immersedtohislipsforlifeinthoseArcticwaters!
where,whenseamenfalloverboard,theyaresometimesfound,monthsafterwards,perpendicularlyfrozenintotheheartsoffieldsofice,asaflyisfoundgluedinamber.
Butmoresurprisingisittoknow,ashasbeenprovedbyexperiment,thatthebloodofaPolarwhaleiswarmerthanthatofaBorneonegroinsummer.
Itdoesseemtome,thathereinweseetherarevirtueofastrongindividualvitality,andtherarevirtueofthickwalls,andtherarevirtueofinteriorspaciousness.Oh,man!
admireandmodelthyselfafterthewhale!Dothou,too,remainwarmamongice.
Dothou,too,liveinthisworldwithoutbeingofit.
Becoolattheequator;keepthybloodfluidatthePole.
LikethegreatdomeofSt.Peter’s,andlikethegreatwhale,retain,Oman!
inallseasonsatemperatureofthineown.
Buthoweasyandhowhopelesstoteachthesefinethings!Oferections,howfewaredomedlikeSt.Peter’s!ofcreatures,howfewvastasthewhale!
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