Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-04-06
AT WORK on THE WHALE

A huge trophy of their skill is the big hump
back whale, which is suspended in the air
across the end of the south hall of the museum
The side that the visitor first sees looks Just as
a whale might look If hoisted out of the water
and hung in the air. II is Of dark slate color
paling 10 a gray on the breast. which is ridged
or corrugated Passing beneath the monster
TO the other side. one gets an entirely different
view. The papier-mache model represents
only one side OF the whale. The other side is
left open and exposes to view the bony struct-
ure of the animal. the skeleton having been
mounted and placed inside the model, 80 that
from one side the visitor can inspect the in
ternal structure, just as one might look at the
works OF a watch when the case ia opened
This was an idea Of Prof Bairds to show the
skeleton in its natural position. This
whale. which is female. and over 80 feet long,
WAS stranded on Cape Cod near Provincetown
some years ago, and the Smithsonian was mott
ned Ii was impracticable to bring 30 big
creature here, SO Mr.. Joseph Palmer with a
number Of men. went there. Plaster molds
were made from the dead animal In sections az
II lay ON the beach. The molds were shipped
TO this city, together with the bones. By means
OF the molds the paper model Of half or one
side OF the whale was made, and the skeleton
when mounted, was placed in II, The hump,
back whale grows 70 twice the size Of the one
whose paper representative hangs in the mu-
scum. II Is not considered Of SO much import
anee commercially as the great bow-head. the
l. short and brittle, and il has not, compare
lively speaking, much blubber. Humpbacks
are sometimes captured by whalers, and are
found in nearly all seas. They get their name
from having a small hump, instead of q I'm, on
the back.
SKELETONS AND SKULLS.
In an adjoining hall, given up 70 the skull and
skeletons of mammals, are the mounted skele-
tons of several big whales and some little
ones too. Az a STAR reporter was looking
at them, Prof True discoursed to him, with the
enthusiasm OF a naturalist, on the structure of
whales Prof. True remarked that the caet-
ceans furnished striking example Of what
might be called mechanical evolution Their
form Is wonderfully well adapted to the ele-
ment IN which they live. The dolphin Is q COM
bination Of lines Of beauty. In the whale dis
sected by Prof. True yesterday, were found
little rudimentary pelvic bones, all that is left
OF the hind legs of the ancestor Of the whale
whether the whale was once aquadruped living
on land back somewhere in the eocene period,
and by the submerging OF the land had to adapt
itself 10 an aquatic life, descending its hind legs
In the process Of evolution and changing its
forward legs to fippers, is q question which
scientists have not yet settled Some claim
that the tail was developed from the hind legs.
The notion that whales v hen they blow spout
water erroneous. When q whale rises to
breathe, as soon as he reaches the surface he
expels from his lungs, through his blow-hole, q
vaPory cloud Of breath which, from distance,
looks IKE q spout Of spray or water. II 10 by
this spouting and o habit whales have of 'lob-
taiirg or beating and splashing the water
around them that whalers are able to descry
them often st Q great distance.