and that was less than seventy feet in length in the skeleton. 可它那骷髅的长度还不满七十英尺。

Whereas, we have already seen, that the tape-measure gives seventy-two feet for the skeleton of a large sized modern whale. 反之，我们已经看到，一条现代最大的鲸，用卷尺量来，它的骷髅就有七十英尺。

And I have heard, on whalemen's authority, that Sperm Whales have been captured near a hundred feet long at the time of capture. 而且，我根据捕鲸权威家的说法，还得知在人们所捕到的抹香鲸中，在它刚被捕到的时候，身长将近一百英尺咧。

But may it not be, that while the whales of the present hour are an advance in magnitude upon those of all previous geological periods; 但是，现代的大鲸，在身躯上，也许不可能超过所有先前的地质年代纪的那些鲸吧；

may it not be, that since Adam's time they have degenerated? 自从亚当时代以来，它们也许不可能退化吧？

Assuredly, we must conclude so, if we are to credit the accounts of such gentlemen as Pliny, and the ancient naturalists generally. 如果我们信任象普利尼这些先生以及古代一般博物学家们的说法，那么，无疑地，我们就必须下这样的结论了。

For Pliny tells us of Whales that embraced acres of living bulk, 因为普利尼告诉我们说，鲸鱼的活身躯有好几英亩大，

and Aldrovandus of others which measured eight hundred feet in length— Rope Walks and Thames Tunnels of Whales! 而阿德罗凡提则说，有些鲸身长达八百英尺——真是象制索厂和泰晤士河隧道似的鲸！

And even in the days of Banks and Solander, Cooke's naturalists, 甚至在班克斯，梭兰德和库克这些博物学家的时代，

we find a Danish member of the Academy of Sciences setting down certain Iceland Whales (reydan-siskur, or Wrinkled Bellies) 我们还发现皇家科学院的一个丹麦籍院长宣称某一种冰岛鲸（列丹——西斯库或者叫做绉腹鲸）

at one hundred and twenty yards; that is, three hundred and sixty feet. 身长达一百二十码；这就要合到三百六十英尺了。

And Lacepede, the French naturalist, in his elaborate history of whales, in the very beginning of his work (page 3), 而那位法国博物学家拉塞佩德，在他那部详尽阐述的大鲸史上的开头（第三页）

sets down the Right Whale at one hundred metres, three hundred and twenty-eight feet. 就宣称露脊鲸有一百公尺，即合三百二十八英尺的身长。

And this work was published so late as A.D. 1825. 这部作品还是迟至一八二五年才发表的呢。