File:Animate creation - popular edition of "Our living world" - a natural history (1898) (18012870499).jpg

Title: Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history
Identifier: animatecreationp213331898woodj (find matches)
Year: 1898 (1890s)
Authors: Wood, J. G. (John George), 1827-1889; Holder, Joseph B. (Joseph Bassett), 1824-1888; Prang, Louis, 1824-1909, lithographer; Brehm, Alfred Edmund, 1829-1884; Wood, J. G. (John George), 1827-1889. Illustrated natural history; National Zoological Park (U. S. ), former owner. DSI
Subjects: Zoology; Zoology
Publisher: New York : Selmar Hess
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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77/A' NARWHAL. 437 to the effect, that the "horn" is useful in the light of an auger, with which the animal is enabled to bore breathing-holes through the ice-fields, whenever it finds itself in want of air beneath those vast frozen plains. But this theory is equally liable to the objection, that the females want to breathe as much as the males, and would stand in equal need of so indis- pensable an apparatus. That the "horn" is employed in some definite task, is evident from the fact, that its tip is always smooth and polished, however rough and encrusted the remainder of its length may be. The male Narwhal may perhaps use the tusk as a weapon of war, wherewith to charge his adversaries, as a mediaeval knight was wont to charge with shield on breast and lance in rest; and if that be the case, the weapon is truly a terrible one. This conjecture derives some force
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from the fact, that a herd of these aquatic spearmen have been seen engaged in sportive pastime, crossing their ivory lances, and seeming to fence with them, as the white weapons clashed against each other. The play of animals, not to mention mankind, is almost invariably founded on the spirit of combativeness, and generally consists in a sham fight; so that the Narwhal "horn" may probably be analogous to the tusks of boars and the horns of deer, and be given to the animal as an offensive weapon, wherewith he may wage war with those of Ids- own species and sex who arouse his feelings of jealousy, or would interfere with his supremacy. The food of the Narwhal consists chiefly of marine mollusks and of occasional fish, but is found to be generally composed of the same kind of squid, or cuttle-fish, which supplies the gigantic spermaceti whale with subsistence As the remains of several flat fish have been dis- covered in the stomach of the Narwhal, it was supposed by some authors that the animal made use of its tusk as a fish-spear, transfixing them as they lay "sluddering" on the mud or sand, after their usual fashion, thus preventing their escape from the toothless month into which the wounded fish are then received. However this may be, the force of the task is terrific when urged with the impetus of the creature driving through tin- water at full speed, for the whole combined power of the weight and velocity of the animal is directed along the line of

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