CHAPTER55OftheMonstrousPicturesof

ishallerelongpainttoyouaswellasonecanwithoutcanvas,somethinglikethetrueformofthewhaleasheactuallyappearstotheeyeofthewhalemanwheninhisownabsolutebodythewhaleismooredalongsidethewhale-shipsothathecanbefairlysteppeduponthere.itmaybeworthwhile,therefore,previouslytoadverttothosecuriousimaginaryportraitsofhimwhichevendowntothepresentdayconfidentlychallengethefaithofthelandsman.itistimetosettheworldrightinthismatter,byprovingsuchpicturesofthewhaleallwrong.

itmaybethattheprimalsourceofallthosepictorialdelusionswillbefoundamongtheoldesthindoo,egyptian,andgreciansculptures.foreversincethoseinventivebutunscrupuloustimeswhenonthemarblepanellingsoftemples,thepedestalsofstatues,andonshields,medallions,cups,andcoins,thedolphinwasdrawninscalesofchain-armorlikesaladin's,andahelmetedheadlikest.george's;eversincethenhassomethingofthesamesortoflicenseprevailed,notonlyinmostpopularpicturesofthewhale,butinmanyscientificpresentationsofhim.

now,byallodds,themostancientextantportraitanywayspurportingtobethewhale's,istobefoundinthefamouscavern-pagodaofelephanta,inindia.thebrahminsmaintainthatinthealmostendlesssculpturesofthatimmemorialpagoda,allthetradesandpursuits,everyconceivableavocationofman,wereprefiguredagesbeforeanyofthemactuallycameintobeing.nowonderthen,thatinsomesortournobleprofessionofwhalingshouldhavebeenthereshadowedforth.thehindoowhalereferredto,occursinaseparatedepartmentofthewall,depictingtheincarnationofvishnuintheformofleviathan,learnedlyknownasthematseavatar.butthoughthissculptureishalfmanandhalfwhale,soasonlytogivethetailofthelatter,yetthatsmallsectionofhimisallwrong.itlooksmorelikethetaperingtailofananaconda,thanthebroadpalmsofthetruewhale'smajesticflukes.

butgototheoldgalleries,andlooknowatagreatchristianpainter'sportraitofthisfish;forheeedsnobetterthantheantediluvianhindoo.itisguido'spictureofperseusrescuingandromedafromthesea-monsterorwhale.wheredidguidogetthemodelofsuchastrangecreatureasthat?nordoeshogarth,inpaintingthesamesceneinhisown"perseusdescending,"makeoutonewhitbetter.thehugecorpulenceofthathogarthianmonsterundulatesonthesurface,scarcelydrawingoneinchofwater.ithasasortofhowdahonitsback,anditsdistendedtuskedmouthintowhichthebillowsarerolling,mightbetakenforthetraitors'gateleadingfromthethamesbywaterintothetower.then,therearetheprodromuswhalesofoldscotchsibbald,andjonah'swhale,asdepictedintheprintsofoldbiblesandthecutsofoldprimers.whatshallbesaidofthese?asforthebook-binder'swhalewindinglikeavine-stalkroundthestockofadescendinganchor—asstampedandgildedonthebacksandtitle-pagesofmanybooksbotholdandnew—thatisaverypicturesquebutpurelyfabulouscreature,imitated,itakeit,fromthelikefiguresonantiquevases.thoughuniversallydenominatedadolphin,ineverthelesscallthisbookbinder'sfishanattemptatawhale;becauseitwassointendedwhenthedevicewasfirstintroduced.itwasintroducedbyanolditalianpublishersomewhereaboutthe15thcentury,duringtherevivaloflearning;andinthosedays,andevendowntoacomparativelylateperiod,dolphinswerepopularlysupposedtobeaspeciesoftheleviathan.

inthevignettesandotherembellishmentsofsomeancientbooksyouwillattimesmeetwithverycurioustouchesatthewhale,whereallmannerofspouts,jetsd'eau,hotspringsandcold,saratogaandbadenbaden,comebubblingupfromhisunexhaustedbrain.inthetitle-pageoftheoriginaleditionofthe"advancementoflearning"youwillfindsomecuriouswhales.

butquittingalltheseunprofessionalattempts,letusglanceatthosepicturesofleviathanpurportingtobesober,scientificdelineations,bythosewhoknow.inoldharris'scollectionofvoyagestherearesomeplatesofwhalesextractedfromadutchbookofvoyages,a.d.1671,entitled"awhalingvoyagetospitzbergenintheshipjonasinthewhale,peterpetersonoffriesland,master."inoneofthoseplatesthewhales,likegreatraftsoflogs,arerepresentedlyingamongice-isles,withwhitebearsrunningovertheirlivingbacks.inanotherplate,theprodigiousblunderismadeofrepresentingthewhalewithperpendicularflukes.

thenagain,thereisanimposingquarto,writtenbyonecaptaincolnett,apostcaptainintheenglishnavy,entitled"avoyageroundcapehornintothesouthseas,forthepurposeofextendingthespermacetiwhalefisheries."inthisbookisanoutlinepurportingtobea"pictureofaphyseterorspermacetiwhale,drawnbyscalefromonekilledonthecoastofmexico,august,1793,andhoistedondeck."idoubtnotthecaptainhadthisveraciouspicturetakenforthebenefitofhismarines.tomentionbutonethingaboutit,letmesaythatithasaneyewhichapplied,accordingtotheaccompanyingscale,toafullgrownspermwhale,wouldmaketheeyeofthatwhaleabow-windowsomefivefeetlong.ah,mygallantcaptain,whydidyenotgiveusjonahlookingoutofthateye!

norarethemostconscientiouscompilationsofnaturalhistoryforthebenefitoftheyoungandtender,freefromthesameheinousnessofmistake.lookatthatpopularwork"goldsmith'sanimatednature."intheabridgedlondoneditionof1807,thereareplatesofanalleged"whale"anda"narwhale."idonotwishtoseeminelegant,butthisunsightlywhalelooksmuchlikeanamputatedsow;and,asforthenarwhale,oneglimpseatitisenoughtoamazeone,thatinthisnineteenthcenturysuchahippogriffcouldbepalmedforgenuineuponanyintelligentpublicofschoolboys.

then,again,in1825,bernardgermain,countdelacépède,agreatnaturalist,publishedascientificsystemizedwhalebook,whereinareseveralpicturesofthedifferentspeciesoftheleviathan.allthesearenotonlyincorrect,butthepictureofthemysticetusorgreenlandwhale(thatistosay,therightwhale),evenscoresby,alongexperiencedmanastouchingthatspecies,declaresnottohaveitscounterpartinnature.

buttheplacingofthecap-sheaftoallthisblunderingbusinesswasreservedforthescientificfrederickcuvier,brothertothefamousbaron.in1836,hepublishedanaturalhistoryofwhales,inwhichhegiveswhathecallsapictureofthespermwhale.beforeshowingthatpicturetoanynantucketer,youhadbestprovideforyoursummaryretreatfromnantucket.inaword,frederickcuvier'sspermwhaleisnotaspermwhale,butasquash.ofcourse,heneverhadthebenefitofawhalingvoyage(suchmenseldomhave),butwhencehederivedthatpicture,whocantell?perhapshegotitashisscientificpredecessorinthesamefield,desmarest,gotoneofhisauthenticabortions;thatis,fromachinesedrawing.andwhatsortoflivelyladswiththepencilthosechineseare,manyqueercupsandsaucersinformus.

asforthesign-painters'whalesseeninthestreetshangingovertheshopsofoil-dealers,whatshallbesaidofthem?theyaregenerallyrichardiii.whales,withdromedaryhumps,andverysavage;breakfastingonthreeorfoursailortarts,thatiswhaleboatsfullofmariners:theirdeformitiesflounderinginseasofbloodandbluepaint.

butthesemanifoldmistakesindepictingthewhalearenotsoverysurprisingafterall.consider!mostofthescientificdrawingshavebeentakenfromthestrandedfish;andtheseareaboutascorrectasadrawingofawreckedship,withbrokenback,wouldcorrectlyrepresentthenobleanimalitselfinallitsundashedprideofhullandspars.thoughelephantshavestoodfortheirfull-lengths,thelivingleviathanhasneveryetfairlyfloatedhimselfforhisportrait.thelivingwhale,inhisfullmajestyandsignificance,isonlytobeseenatseainunfathomablewaters;andafloatthevastbulkofhimisoutofsight,likealaunchedline-of-battleship;andoutofthatelementitisathingeternallyimpossibleformortalmantohoisthimbodilyintotheair,soastopreserveallhismightyswellsandundulations.and,nottospeakofthehighlypresumabledifferenceofcontourbetweenayoungsuckingwhaleandafull-grownplatonianleviathan;yet,eveninthecaseofoneofthoseyoungsuckingwhaleshoistedtoaship'sdeck,suchisthentheoutlandish,eel-like,limbered,varyingshapeofhim,thathispreciseexpressionthedevilhimselfcouldnotcatch.

butitmaybefancied,thatfromthenakedskeletonofthestrandedwhale,accuratehintsmaybederivedtouchinghistrueform.notatall.foritisoneofthemorecuriousthingsaboutthisleviathan,thathisskeletongivesverylittleideaofhisgeneralshape.thoughjeremybentham'sskeleton,whichhangsforcandelabrainthelibraryofoneofhisexecutors,correctlyconveystheideaofaburlybrowedutilitarianoldgentleman,withalljeremy'sotherleadingpersonalcharacteristics;yetnothingofthiskindcouldbeinferredfromanyleviathan'sarticulatedbones.infact,asthegreathuntersays,themereskeletonofthewhalebearsthesamerelationtothefullyinvestedandpaddedanimalastheinsectdoestothechrysalisthatsoroundinglyenvelopesit.thispeculiarityisstrikinglyevincedinthehead,asinsomepartofthisbookwillbeincidentallyshown.itisalsoverycuriouslydisplayedinthesidefin,thebonesofwhichalmostexactlyanswertothebonesofthehumanhand,minusonlythethumb.thisfinhasfourregularbone-fingers,theindex,middle,ring,andlittlefinger.butallthesearepermanentlylodgedintheirfleshycovering,asthehumanfingersinanartificialcovering."howeverrecklesslythewhalemaysometimesserveus,"saidhumorousstubboneday,"hecanneverbetrulysaidtohandleuswithoutmittens."

forallthesereasons,then,anywayyoumaylookatit,youmustneedsconcludethatthegreatleviathanisthatonecreatureintheworldwhichmustremainunpaintedtothelast.true,oneportraitmayhitthemarkmuchnearerthananother,butnonecanhititwithanyveryconsiderabledegreeofexactness.sothereisnoearthlywayoffindingoutpreciselywhatthewhalereallylookslike.andtheonlymodeinwhichyoucanderiveevenatolerableideaofhislivingcontour,isbygoingawhalingyourself;butbysodoing,yourunnosmallriskofbeingeternallystoveandsunkbyhim.wherefore,itseemstomeyouhadbestnotbetoofastidiousinyourcuriositytouchingthisleviathan.