BOTTLENOSE

WHALE (Hyperoodon rostratus)  , a member of the sperm-whale family, which is an inhabitant of the North Atlantic, passing the summer in the Spitzbergen seas and going farther south in winter . It resembles the sperm-whale in possessing a large store of oil in the upper part of the head, which yields spermaceti when refined; on this account, and also for the sake of the blubber, which supplies an oil almost in-distinguishable from sperm-oil, this whale became the object of a regular chase in the latter half of the 19th century . In length these whales vary between 20 ft. and 30 ft.; and in colour from black on the upper surface in the young to light brown in old animals, the under-parts being greyish white . There is no notch between the flukes, as in other whales, but the hinder part of the tail is rounded . Bottlenoses feed on cuttle-fishes and squills, and are practically toothless; the only teeth which exist in the adult being a small pair at the front of the lower jaw, concealed beneath the gum during life . Examples have frequently been recorded on the British coasts . In November 1904 a female, 24 ft. long, and a calf 15 ft. long were driven ashore at Whitstable .