An account of several late voyages and discoveries

to Spiczbergen~ . 147 Hands when the Fifu grows hot. J ,know not whether the Skin is thus burnt by the inward t of the Fifh when he lies dry a floating pan .the Water. The Sun beams feem not to ave fo great power as to dry the Skin fo. We found our firft fJThale was fo much beated y his hard fwimming that he flunk alive; we uld pu11 of great picces of the Skin, of the ngth of a Man , which wc could not do to ther Fifues that were not fo much heated : uc from Whales that have been dead fome ys, and are dry, where alfo the Sun fhines . n them, or when it doth not rain, one ma y 11 off a great deal of the Skin, but it fiinks fely of Train-oyl, or Far, that ferment-s thro" e Pores of the Skin. I kno·.~ not what ufe to ake of this Skin, but I have feen ·-women tye eir Flax with it abou t the Difiaff. Tbe Whale lofcth bis beautiful white colour ben it groweth dry, for before there is more ack amongfi it, which makes the white fhew e better, neither doch the black look fo well ter it is dry, for it groweth then brownifh. hcn you hold the Skin againft the light, yon many fmall Pores in it, where the Sweat co~ eth through. The Yard of the Whale is a frrong Sinewt d according as they are in bignefs, fix, feven eight foot long , as I have feen my felf. Itere this Yard is fixed the Skin is doubled, that it líes ju(t like Ja Knife in a Sheath , here you can fee nothing of thc Knife but ly a little of the Hafr. The part of Genera.. L 2 tion