Whalebone, Or Baleen

Whalebone, Or Baleen, the horny laminated plates or blades in the mouth of the balcena or right whale. These plates, which number about 300 in the mouth of a full-grown animal, are from 10 to 15 ft. long, and serve the purpose of retaining the small fry which compose the food of the right whale. The whalebone is not properly bone, but bears a strong resemblance to the horns of cattle, the hoofs of the horse, or the nails and hair of the human species. It is almost identical in structure with the horn of the rhinoceros. Three kinds are distinguished in commerce, though there is little difference in the quality: the Greenland, the South sea, and the N. W. coast bone. It is used for the ribs of stretchers of umbrellas and parasols, for stays, brushes, whip handles, the manufacture of hair cloth, for hats and bonnets, canes, and other articles. The increasing price has led to the substitution for it of steel, vulcanite, and rattan.

Whatcom

Whatcom, a N. W. county of Washington territory, bounded N. by British Columbia and W. by Washington sound, lying between the gulf of Georgia and the strait of Fuca; area, about 4,100 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 534. It is watered by several streams. The coast is indented by Beliingham bay, near which is Lake Whatcom, and in the vicinity are coal mines. The interior is covered with dense forests, and the E. part is crossed by lofty and rugged mountains. Mt. Baker in this region is over 10,000 ft. high. Lumber is the principal source of wealth. The chief productions in 1870 were 1,275 bushels of wheat, 5,430 of oats, 1,686 of barley, 2,392 of peas and beans, 28,600 of potatoes, 30,210 lbs. of wool, 16,600 of butter, and 1,364 tons of hay. There were 131 horses, 617 milch cows, 1,485 other cattle, 10,070 sheep, and 1,634 swine. Capital, Whatcom.

Whimbrel

See Curlew.

Whin

See Ulex.

Whin Chat

See Stone Chat.

Whitby

Whitby, a town and port of entry of the province of Ontario, Canada, capital of Ontario co., on Lake Ontario, at the S. terminus of the Whitby and Port Perry railway, and on the Grand Trunk line, 30 m. E. by N. of Toronto; pop. in 1871, 2,732. The harbor is one of the best on the lake. There are manufactories of iron castings, mill machinery, agricultural implements, musical instruments, leather, etc, three branch banks, a grammar and several common schools, a weekly newspaper, and churches of five denominations. The value of imports for the year ending June 30,1874, was $77,781; of exports, $478,860.

White Ant

See Termites.

White Bear

See Bear.

White Kennet

White Kennet, an English bishop, born in Dover in 1660, died in Peterborough in 1728. He was educated at Oxford, and was made bishop of Peterborough in 1718. He left a number of works, among which are: "Ecclesiastical Synods and Convocations historically stated and vindicated against Dr. Atterbury" (London, 1701); "The Case of Impropriations, and of the Augmentation of Vicarages and other insufficient Cures, stated by History and Law " (1704); "History of England, from the Accession of Charles I. to that of Queen Anne," published in the collection of English histories compiled by John Hughes (1706); "Bibliothece Americance, Primordia, an attempt toward laying the Foundation of an American Library" (1713); and "A Register and Chronicle, Ecclesiastical and Civil" (1728). His "Life" was published in 1730. He left a valuable collection of manuscripts, purchased by Lord Shelburne, and now part of the "Lans-downe manuscripts" in the British museum.