Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Chapter 7

Before we got much deeper into our Chase for the whale, I should give you a few facts about this huge Beast. You need to know a little bit about what to expect, for we are coming into the whale's neighborhood now.
     First, let me say that I do not agree with those scientist who called a whale a mammal. I cannot see how anything that spends its entire life in the water could be anything but a fish. And even the Bible says that the creature that swallowed Jonah was a "great fish."
     I do agree that there are some differences between the whale and other fish. First, the whale has lungs and warm blood. This means he must come to the surface of the water to fill his lungs with air and to control his temperature. When he rises to the surface to take a breath, he spits out the old air and takes in new- just like we human beings inhale and exhale through our nose and mouth. But the whale does it a little differently. He has a blowhole located in the center of his forehead (except for the sperm whale, who's blowhole is at the front and to its left). When the air blows through this whole a comes out with such force that creates a burst of air water, or spout. This Missy spell is the first thing a whale Hunter looks for as he stands watch on the deck and it is the reason for the famous Shout: "There she blows!"
     I'll mention just one more thing that one notices about whales- the broad tail. All the other fish have up and down or vertical tails. But the whales tail lights flat. So, ABC a spouting fish with a huge, flat tail, you will have spotted a whale.
     Now, among these warm-blooded are breathing, spouting, Flat Tail fishes, there are many types. Of these, the sperm whale, humpback whale, Razorback Whale, and right whale are the largest and most valuable for the quality and amount of oil they contain. And of this group, the sperm whale is the king of the fishes, just as the lion is King of the beasts. He is the hardest thing to kill, but the tons of valuable oil that come from his body make hunting him worth the danger. His oil lights the lamps around the world. The sperm whale is also the only whale from which we get spermaceti. This precious substance is used to make expensive perfumes.
     Before ending this little science lesson, I should give you some idea about the size of the whale. Many whales grow to be over 90 ft in length, an old Sailors would tell you they have seen great creatures which would measure more than that! The largest of the sperm whales weigh over 90 tons summation mark I could go on with facts and stories, but you shall learn more about these marvelous fish as the journey continues.

Wooo!!! Two chapters done in one night! I feel amazing getting something done. Also, thank you everyone fkr reading and we got over 100 reads! I'm so happy!