The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-07-08

bowed sharply outward ana tne rooi OF
the mouth is arched like the interior OF
a large dome. Thus the space neces-
sarv to take in an enormous quantity
of the little ANIMALS is provided. and to
inclose the prey within 1t the curious
formation which is commonly known
as whaIebone is brought into play.
This whalebone issues from the upper
jaw in series of long, horny plates,
called blades or fakes by whalers. The
flakes are short at the angle of the jaw
and at the end of it. and long in the
middle. / have seen these central
flakes twelve feet long. and whales
have been taken with flakes sixteen
feet long, more than a foot
wide and two inches thick on
the back These flakes are
shaped like the blade of knife. grow
ing thinner as they recede from the
Jaw. the edge of the blades being
turned inward. only their backs being
visible on the outside. This whale
bone is not bone al all, but, like the
horn OF the rhinoceros, * simply an ag-
gregation of hair. and if it be boiled
for sometime and then pounded with a
mallet. it will become a regular tuft OF
! bristles In its natural state the thin
edge of each flake. as well as the tip, is
naturally boken up into its component
hairs. so that it forms bristly fringe
around the edges OF the mouth There
are two hundred and fifty blades on
each side Of the upper jaw, and they
are set so cl0eiy side by side that a
visiting card could with difficulty be
inserted between them. Thus the
enormous cavity of the mouth is en-
closed within vast triangular case of
baleen, the loose tibers Of the-interior
forming perfect hair sieve This liv-
ing sieve is Of such gigantic dimen-
sions that a whaleboat fully manned
might be roved into it without touch
ing the sides of the mouth.
People generally know baleen only
in its com mercial state, and have no
idea what it is like in its live or natu-
raj state 1t is then soft, flexible and
elastic, and entirely unlike the brittle
articles seen in the stores. A piece OF
dried yehalebone, if bent. will break at
the point of tension, and there is no
elasticity to it. But during the life Of
the whale ba leen is absolutely unbreak-
able. It Is verita bic India rubber.
When the mouth of the whale is closed
the baIeen blades bend backward into
deep grooves. hut as soon az the great
sea mammoth opens its mouth they
spring forward by their own wonderful
elasticity. so that they entirely close
the space between the upper and lower
laws. and the bushels of little mollusks
that the whale gathers in as he skins
them from the surface into his enOr-
nous mouth are held imprisoned within
the great hinged inclosurp, only the
water esca ping through the hairy sieve.
The Greenland whale is constantly
on the move, and rapid move it is, too
A speed of twenty knots an hour through
the water. scooping up his dainty sub
sistence. is nothing for one of these
greedy leviathans of the deep. The
most curious part of this constant
rapid iourneying of the Greenland
whale If that it never slows up any to
feed its Young. which live bv sucking
the mother until the baleen .egins TO
appear in their upper jaws Taking its
food and at the same time travelling at
railroad speed would be an impossible
itv with the cub whale II it depended
on leisurely style Of sslckling, such as
young pigs and other mammals do
But nature has built the Greenland
whale on a different plan The whale
mother Is constructed so that she can
give her cub it, meal instantly. al
though il requires not less than gal
ron of milk % satisfy whale cubs ~
petite The teat Of the female whale
is a regular force pump. and when the
young whale, speeding along al its
mothers side through the waters, gives
notice that II Is hungry and seizes the
Tactical fount the mother sets the force
pump in motion. and the whole supply
OF milk needed by the cub Is injected
simultaneously into its stomach
Y sun.