CHAPTER103MeasurementofTheWhale'sSk

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.

inlength,thespermwhale'sskeletonattranquemeasuredseventy-twofeet;sothatwhenfullyinvestedandextendedinlife,hemusthavebeenninetyfeetlong;forinthewhale,theskeletonlosesaboutonefifthinlengthcomparedwiththelivingbody.ofthisseventy-twofeet,hisskullandjawcomprisedsometwentyfeet,leavingsomefiftyfeetofplainback-bone.attachedtothisback-bone,forsomethinglessthanathirdofitslength,wasthemightycircularbasketofribswhichonceenclosedhisvitals.

tomethisvastivory-ribbedchest,withthelong,unrelievedspine,extendingfarawayfromitinastraightline,notalittleresembledthehullofagreatshipnew-laiduponthestocks,whenonlysometwentyofhernakedbow-ribsareinserted,andthekeelisotherwise,forthetime,butalong,disconnectedtimber.

theribsweretenonaside.thefirst,tobeginfromtheneck,wasnearlysixfeetlong;thesecond,third,andfourthwereeachessivelylonger,tillyoucametotheclimaxofthefifth,oroneofthemiddleribs,whichmeasuredeightfeetandsomeinches.fromthatpart,theremainingribsdiminished,tillthetenthandlastonlyspannedfivefeetandsomeinches.ingeneralthickness,theyallboreaseemlycorrespondencetotheirlength.themiddleribswerethemostarched.insomeofthearsacidestheyareusedforbeamswhereontolayfootpathbridgesoversmallstreams.

inconsideringtheseribs,icouldnotbutbestruckanewwiththecircumstance,sovariouslyrepeatedinthisbook,thattheskeletonofthewhaleisbynomeansthemouldofhisinvestedform.thelargestofthetranqueribs,oneofthemiddleones,occupiedthatpartofthefishwhich,inlife,isgreatestindepth.now,thegreatestdepthoftheinvestedbodyofthisparticularwhalemusthavebeenatleastsixteenfeet;whereas,thecorrespondingribmeasuredbutlittlemorethaneightfeet.sothatthisribonlyconveyedhalfofthetruenotionofthelivingmagnitudeofthatpart.besides,forsomeway,whereinowsawbutanakedspine,allthathadbeenoncewrappedroundwithtonsofaddedbulkinflesh,muscle,blood,andbowels.stillmore,fortheamplefins,iheresawbutafewdisorderedjoints;andinplaceoftheweightyandmajestic,butbonelessflukes,anutterblank!

howvainandfoolish,then,thoughti,fortimiduntravelledmantotrytocomprehendarightthiswondrouswhale,bymerelyporingoverhisdeadattenuatedskeleton,stretchedinthispeacefulwood.no.onlyintheheartofquickestperils;onlywhenwithintheeddyingsofhisangryflukes;onlyontheprofoundunboundedsea,canthefullyinvestedwhalebetrulyandlivinglyfoundout.

butthespine.forthat,thebestwaywecanconsideritis,withacrane,topileitsboneshighuponend.nospeedyenterprise.butnowit'sdone,itlooksmuchlikepompey'spillar.

therearefortyandoddvertebr?inall,whichintheskeletonarenotlockedtogether.theymostlylielikethegreatknobbedblocksonagothicspire,formingsolidcoursesofheavymasonry.thelargest,amiddleone,isinwidthsomethinglessthanthreefeet,andindepthmorethanfour.thesmallest,wherethespinetapersawayintothetail,isonlytwoinchesinwidth,andlookssomethinglikeawhitebilliard-ball.iwastoldthattherewerestillsmallerones,buttheyhadbeenlostbysomelittlecannibalurchins,thepriest'schildren,whohadstolenthemtoplaymarbleswith.thusweseehowthatthespineofeventhehugestoflivingthingstapersoffatlastintosimplechild'splay.