Existing Whale Skeleton Collections
Ishmael notes that his measurements can be verified against skeleton authorities. In Hull, England, the Leviathanic Museum contains fine specimens of fin-backs and other whales. The museum in Manchester, New Hampshire claims to have “the only perfect specimen of a Greenland or River Whale in the United States.” At Burton Constable in Yorkshire, Sir Clifford Constable possesses a skeleton of a Sperm Whale, though of moderate size compared to King Tranquo’s. Sir Clifford’s whale has been articulated so visitors can open its bony cavities, spread its ribs like a fan, and swing upon its lower jaw, with locks on trap-doors and keys for visitors.
Tattooed Whale Skeleton Dimensions
Ishmael records his skeleton measurements as tattooed on his right arm, the only secure way to preserve such valuable statistics during his wild wanderings. Due to limited space and his wish to keep other body parts blank for a poem he was composing, he did not include odd inches, nor does he believe inches should enter into a congenial admeasurement of the whale.
第一百零三章 Measurement of The Whale’s Skeleton.
This chapter focuses on measuring and exhibiting the sperm whale’s skeleton, opening with context on the whale’s living bulk, calculated weight, and scale relative to human populations to frame the size of the specimen whose bones are detailed below.
Statement on the Leviathan’s Bulk
The narrator opens with a plain, straightforward statement about the living bulk of the leviathan (sperm whale) whose skeleton is to be exhibited, noting the statement will provide useful context for the discussion to follow.
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