BOOK II. (_Octavo_), CHAPTER I. (_Grampus_).—Though this fish, whose

loud sonorous breathing, or rather blowing, has furnished a proverb to

landsmen, is so well known a denizen of the deep, yet is he not

popularly classed among whales. But possessing all the grand

distinctive features of the leviathan, most naturalists have recognised

him for one. He is of moderate octavo size, varying from fifteen to

twenty-five feet in length, and of corresponding dimensions round the

waist. He swims in herds; he is never regularly hunted, though his oil

is considerable in quantity, and pretty good for light. By some

fishermen his approach is regarded as premonitory of the advance of the

great sperm whale.