National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1872-10-18
The yfater.lInlc0rn.

Among the near kindred OF the wnaie
il the famous unicorn not the compan-
ion of the lion en- the British coat-of-
arms, but its counterpart among the
wonders OF the deep. Inferior OF size to
the right whale, il has the advantage OF
n most formidable weapon, with which
Nature has provided it for as yet un-
known purposes. This is the monstrous
tooth which projects from the upper jaw
of the animal it is "a large as mans
thigh at the base, turned in spiral ana
sharply pointed ut the end hollow with,
in. it shows externally the finest and
whitest ivory known to the trade. The
Narwhal, or nose whale, was so called
because the Dutch, who seem to have
had the christening OF most quaint things
in the northern regions, at first took this
horn, projecting straight ahead, ten or
even fifteen feet, for grotesqne long
nose. Some say the aninal uses this odd
appendage to pierce holes through the
ice when he comes up to breathe others,
that he mows off seaweed with 1t, ON
which he grazes. There is no doubt
that. at times, he transfiXes fish with his
gigantic stiletto, so that he may be able
to devour them at leisure.
The legend has it, that king o'
Denmark, wishing to make somebody n
present of n piece OF the horn OF the
unicorn-for such it was long considered
ordered one of his high officials to cut
of n piece OF the thicker end of fine
specimen which he possessed. The
officer did SO, and, to his astonishment,
found what he had looked upon as a
solid horn was hollow, and in the con-
cavity he discovered smaller horn oil
the same shape and the same sub
stance. The latter was about foot
long, and this resemblance to the teeth
of men first led, it is thought, to the idea
that the unicorn might after all be moth
more than n gigantic tooth. In those
days, however, the supersttious people
attached marvellous power to the wonder.
ful horn. and brisk trade was carried
on in fine specimens, and even in broken
fragments.
The male alone possesses this formid-
able weapon the female having, instead,
two small .eeth, of little use for the pur'
pose of attack or defense. In the male,
however. one of these two is dispropor-
tionately developed. while the other re
mains of diminuitve size, or d'sappear'
gradually altogether, very much MS II
the case with the claws of certain crus
tacem. At first sight, it would appeal
as il this giant of the deep, with hi
terrible sword would be the terror OF thu
seas, killing and devourlng all that came
near him. On the contrary, however
the narwhal is a very HARMLESS animal
and generally his own enemy more thar
that Of others. His mouth has no teeth
and immovable lips, and is so small tha
he can swallow little else but mollusk'
and little fish ; and Scoresby, who founf
in the stomach of one of these strange
beings n ray Of two feet in length, came
to the conclusion that the fish must hav,
been FIRST transtixed by the tooth, and
killed before it was devoured. Other
wise it would be difficult to understand
how an active fish should have allowec
itself to be caught ty IN animal unable
to seize it with the lips or retain it will
the tongue, and in a mouth which hao
not even teeth to tear it to pieces.
Their swiftness, when they are alone
is marvellous and their capture woulo
be almost impossible were it not for the
, curious habit they have of travelling il
immense troops, and of taking refuge II
little bays, from which they cannot easily
escape. Small boats approach them, IL
such cases, with precaution the poo
animals begin to crowd upon each other
, they press their ranks SO closely tina
soon their movements are impeded, ant
their enormous weapons become inter
laced, as each one tries to raise the heac
high in the air. They can neither es
cape nor defend themselves, and thus
fall au easy prey to the lances OF the
whalemen. - sod Fish,' IN D'toln
University Magazine.