Above, you have all the Leviathans of note. But there are a rabble
of uncertain, fugitive, half-fabulous whales, which, as an
American whaleman, I know by reputation, but not personally.
I shall enumerate them by their fore-castle appellations;
for possibly such a list may be valuable to future investigators,
who may complete what I have here but begun. If any of
the following whales, shall hereafter be caught and marked,
then he can readily be incorporated into this System,
according to his Folio, Octavo, or Duodecimo magnitude:--
The Bottle-Nose Whale; the Junk Whale; the Pudding-Headed Whale;
the Cape Whale; the Leading Whale; the Cannon Whale; the Scragg Whale;
the Coppered Whale; the Elephant Whale; the Iceberg Whale;
the Quog Whale; the Blue Whale; &c. From Icelandic, Dutch,
and old English authorities, there might be quoted other lists
of uncertain whales, blessed with all manner of uncouth names.
But I omit them as altogether obsolete; and can hardly help
suspecting them for mere sounds, full of Leviathanism,
but signifying nothing.
Finally: It was stated at the outset, that this system would not
be here, and at once, perfected. You cannot but plainly see that I
have kept my word.
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