- A substance of the consistence of wax, found floating in
the Indian Ocean and other parts of the tropics, and also as a morbid
secretion in the intestines of the sperm whale (Physeter
macro
- A substance of the consistence of wax, found floating in
the Indian Ocean and other parts of the tropics, and also as a morbid
secretion in the intestines of the sperm whale (Physeter
macrocephalus), which is believed to be in all cases its true origin.
In color it is white, ash-gray, yellow, or black, and often variegated
like marble. The floating masses are sometimes from sixty to two
hundred and twenty-five pounds in weight. It is wholly volatilized as a
white vapor at 212¡ Fahrenheit, and is highly valued in perfumery.