CHAPTER80TheNut

ifthespermwhalebephysiognomicallyasphinx,tothephrenologisthisbrainseemsthatgeometricalcirclewhichitisimpossibletosquare.

inthefull-growncreaturetheskullwillmeasureatleasttwentyfeetinlength.unhingethelowerjaw,andthesideviewofthisskullisasthesideofamoderatelyinclinedplanerestingthroughoutonalevelbase.butinlife—aswehaveelsewhereseen—thisinclinedplaneisangularlyfilledup,andalmostsquaredbytheenormoussuperincumbentmassofthejunkandsperm.atthehighendtheskullformsacratertobedthatpartofthemass;whileunderthelongfloorofthiscrater—inanothercavityseldomexceedingteninchesinlengthandasmanyindepth—reposesthemerehandfulofthismonster'sbrain.thebrainisatleasttwentyfeetfromhisapparentforeheadinlife;itishiddenawaybehinditsvastoutworks,liketheinnermostcitadelwithintheamplifiedfortificationsoquebec.solikeachoicecasketisitsecretedinhim,thatihaveknownsomewhalemenwhoperemptorilydenythatthespermwhalehasanyotherbrainthanthatpalpablesemblanceofoneformedbythecubicyardsofhisspermmagazine.lyinginstrangefolds,courses,andconvolutions,totheirapprehensions,itseemsmoreinkeepingwiththeideaofhisgeneralmighttoregardthatmysticpartofhimastheseatofhisintelligence.

itisplain,then,thatphrenologicallytheheadofthisleviathan,inthecreature'slivingintactstate,isanentiredelusion.asforhistruebrain,youcanthenseenoindicationsofit,norfeelany.thewhale,likeallthingsthataremighty,wearsafalsebrowtothecommonworld.

ifyouunloadhisskullofitsspermyheapsandthentakearearviewofitsrearend,whichisthehighend,youwillbestruckbyitsresemblancetothehumanskull,beheldinthesamesituation,andfromthesamepointofview.indeed,placethisreversedskull(scaleddowntothehumanmagnitude)amongaplateofmen'sskulls,andyouwouldinvoluntarilyconfounditwiththem;andremarkingthedepressionsononepartofitssummit,inphrenologicalphraseyouwouldsay—thismanhadnoself-esteem,andnoveneration.andbythosenegations,consideredalongwiththeaffirmativefactofhisprodigiousbulkandpower,youcanbestformtoyourselfthetruest,thoughnotthemostexhilaratingconceptionofwhatthemostexaltedpotencyis.

butiffromthecomparativedimensionsofthewhale'sproperbrain,youdeemitincapableofbeingadequatelycharted,thenihaveanotherideaforyou.ifyouattentivelyregardalmostanyquadruped'sspine,youwillbestruckwiththeresemblanceofitsvertebr?toastrungnecklaceofdwarfedskulls,allbearingrudimentalresemblancetotheskullproper.itisagermanconceit,thatthevertebr?areabsolutelyundevelopedskulls.butthecuriousexternalresemblance,itakeitthegermanswerenotthefirstmentoperceive.aforeignfriendoncepointeditouttome,intheskeletonofafoehehadslain,andwiththevertebr?ofwhichhewasinlaying,inasortofbassorelievo,thebeakedprowofhiscanoe.now,iconsiderthatthephrenologistshaveomittedanimportantthinginnotpushingtheirinvestigationsfromthecerebellumthroughthespinalcanal.foribelievethatmuchofaman'scharacterwillbefoundbetokenedinhisbackbone.iwouldratherfeelyourspinethanyourskull,whoeveryouare.athinjoistofaspineneveryetupheldafullandnoblesoul.irejoiceinmyspine,asinthefirmaudaciousstaffofthatflagwhichiflihalfouttotheworld.

applythisspinalbranchofphrenologytothespermwhale.hiscranialcavityiscontinuouswiththefirstneck-vertebra;andinthatvertebrathebottomofthespinalcanalwillmeasureteninchesacross,beingeightinheight,andofatriangularfigurewiththebasedownwards.asitpassesthroughtheremainingvertebr?thecanaltapersinsize,butforaconsiderabledistanceremainsoflargecapacity.now,ofcourse,thiscanalisfilledwithmuchthesamestrangelyfibroussubstance—thespinalcord—asthebrain;anddirectlycommunicateswiththebrain.andwhatisstillmore,formanyfeetafteremergingfromthebrain'scavity,thespinalcordremainsofanundecreasinggirth,almostequaltothatofthebrain.underallthesecircumstances,woulditbeunreasonabletosurveyandmapoutthewhale'sspinephrenologically?for,viewedinthislight,thewonderfulcomparativesmallnessofhisbrainproperismorethancompensatedbythewonderfulcomparativemagnitudeofhisspinalcord.

butleavingthishinttooperateasitmaywiththephrenologists,iwouldmerelyassumethespinaltheoryforamoment,inreferencetothespermwhale'shump.thisaugusthump,ifimistakenot,risesoveroneofthelargervertebr?,andis,therefore,insomesort,theouterconvexmouldofit.fromitsrelativesituationthen,ishouldcallthishighhumptheorganoffirmnessorindomitablenessinthespermwhale.andthatthegreatmonsterisindomitable,youwillyethavereasontoknow.