In the present instance, too,
this dignity is heightened by the pepper and salt color of his head
at the summit, giving token of advanced age and large experience.
In short, he is what the fishermen technically call a "grey-headed whale."
Let us now note what is least dissimilar in these heads--
namely, the two most important organs, the eye and the ear.
Far back on the side of the head, and low down, near the angle
of either whale's jaw, if you narrowly search, you will at last see
a lashless eye, which you would fancy to be a young colt's eye;
so out of all proportion is it to the magnitude of the head.
Now, from this peculiar sideway position of the whale's eyes,
it is plain that he can never see an object which is exactly ahead,
no more than he can one exactly astern. In a word, the position
of the whale's eyes corresponds to that of a man's ears;
and you may fancy, for yourself, how it would fare with you,
did you sideways survey objects through your ears.
You would find that you could only command some thirty degrees
of vision in advance of the straight side-line of sight;
and about thirty more behind it. If your bitterest foe were
walking straight towards you, with dagger uplifted in broad day,
you would not be able to see him, any more than if he were
stealing upon you from behind.
Pages:
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541