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Cetology

           Theoriginalmattertouchingthespermwhaletobefoundintheirvolumesisnecessarilysmall;butsofarasitgoes,itisofexcellentquality,thoughmostlyconfinedtoscientificdescription.Asyet,however,thespermwhale,scientificorpoetic,livesnotcompleteinanyliterature.Faraboveallotherhuntedwhales,hisisanunwrittenlife.

           Nowthevariousspeciesofwhalesneedsomesortofpopularcomprehensiveclassification,ifonlyaneasyoutlineoneforthepresent,hereaftertobefilledinall-outwarditsdepartmentsbysubsequentlaborers.Asnobettermanadvancestotakethismatterinhand,Ihereuponoffermyownpoorendeavors.Ipromisenothingcomplete;becauseanyhumanthingsupposedtobecompletemustforthatveryreasoninfalliblybefaulty.Ishallnotpretendtoaminuteanatomicaldescriptionofthevariousspecies,orinthisspaceatleasttomuchofanydescription.Myobjecthereissimplytoprojectthedraughtofasystematizationofcetology.Iamthearchitect,notthebuilder.

           Butitisaponderoustask;noordinaryletter-sorterinthePost-Officeisequaltoit.Togropedownintothebottomoftheseaafterthem;tohaveone’shandsamongtheunspeakablefoundations,ribs,andverypelvisoftheworld;thisisafearfulthing.WhatamIthatIshouldessaytohookthenoseofthisleviathan!TheawfultauntingsinJobmightwellappalme."Willhe(theleviathan)makeacovenantwiththee?Beholdthehopeofhimisvain!ButIhaveswamthroughlibrariesandsailedthroughoceans;Ihavehadtodowithwhaleswiththesevisiblehands;Iaminearnest;andIwilltry.Therearesomepreliminariestosettle.

           First:Theuncertain,unsettledconditionofthisscienceofCetologyisintheveryvestibuleattestedbythefact,thatinsomequartersitstillremainsamootpointwhetherawhalebeafish.

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