He seems a whale-hater, as some men are man-haters. Very shy; always going solitary;unexpectedly rising to the surface in the remotestand most sullen waters; his straight and single loftyjet rising like a tall misanthropic spear upon abarren plain; gifted with such wondrous power andvelocity in swimming, as to defy all present pursuitfrom man; this leviathan seems the banished andunconquerable Cain of his race, bearing for his markthat style upon his back. From having the baleen inhis mouth, the Fin-Back is sometimes included withthe right whale, among a theoretic species denominated Whalebone whales, that is, whaleswith baleen. Of these so-called Whalebone whales, there would seem to be several varieties,most of which, however, are little known. Broad-nosed whales and beaked whales; pike-headedwhales; bunched whales; under-jawed whales and rostrated whales, are the fisherman's namesfor a few sorts.

它似乎是个仇恨鲸者,犹如有些人是仇恨人类者一样。它很怕羞,始终独来独往;出人不意地在最远僻最阴沉的海洋上冒出海面;它那又直又高的单股喷水,一射起来,就象是插在荒原上一把愤世嫉俗的长矛;游起水来,天生有那么惊人的力气和速度,好象是不把人类会随时随刻对它追捕放在眼里似的;这种大海兽就象它族类中的被放逐而不可征服的该隐,背负着那标志在它的背上的记号。由于它嘴上有须,因此,脊鳍鲸有时就被算做露脊鲸,在理论上被列入须鲸类,就是说,是有须的鲸。关于这些所谓须鲸,看来倒有好几种,不过,其中大多是默默无闻的。阔鼻鲸;钩鼻鲸;矛头鲸;拳头鲸;低颚鲸和突嘴鲸,都是捕鲸者的几种叫法。

In connexion with this appellative of "Whalebone whales," it is of great importance to mention,that however such a nomenclature may be convenient in facilitating allusions to some kind ofwhales, yet it is in vain to attempt a clear classification of the Leviathan, founded upon eitherhis baleen, or hump, or fin, or teeth; notwithstanding that those marked parts or features veryobviously seem better adapted to afford the basis for a regular system of Cetology than anyother detached bodily distinctions, which the whale, in his kinds, presents.

关于"须鲸"这名称,极其值得提出的是,不管这样一个专门名称对于某几种鲸的提法上可以有多大的方便,然而,对于这种大海兽,要想根据它的鲸须。背峰,或者是根据大鳍。牙齿来获得一种明确的分类却是徒劳的;虽然这种特点或者特征,看似比之它的同类所具有的其它任何个别的体躯上的特点更为明显,更易于得出正规的鲸类学体系的根据。