- description
- # BOOK II. (Octavo), CHAPTER II. (Black Fish).
## Overview - What this is (type, form, dates, scope)
This is a chapter from the novel "[Moby-Dick; or, The Whale](arke:01KG8AJ9GN1K052QJEZVGKXJ0T)" (2026), extracted from the text file [moby_dick.txt](arke:01KG89J198KE6FY8WPVJQQRCZ6). The chapter, titled "BOOK II. (Octavo), CHAPTER II. (Black Fish).", spans lines 5889 to 5906 of the source file. It was extracted on January 30, 2026, by the "structure-extraction-lambda" process.
## Context - Background and provenance from related entities
The chapter is part of the novel "[Moby-Dick; or, The Whale](arke:01KG8AJ9GN1K052QJEZVGKXJ0T)", which is included in the [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW) collection. The novel was extracted from the "moby_dick.txt" file, located within the "novels" folder. The chapter is preceded by "[BOOK II. (Octavo), CHAPTER I. (Grampus).](arke:01KG8AK7FTWVDWHPJ3WKS2JPHM)" and followed by "[BOOK II. (Octavo), CHAPTER III. (Narwhale), that is, Nostril whale.](arke:01KG8AK7G2R4EXKAMTFVR0JKAT)".
## Contents - What it contains, key subjects and details
The chapter discusses the "Black Fish," also known as the "Hyena Whale," and its characteristics. It notes the whale's voracity and its distinctive "Mephistophelean grin." The chapter describes the whale's size (16-18 feet), habitat, and the use of its oil.
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-30T20:50:57.375Z
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- gemini-2.5-flash-lite
- description_title
- BOOK II. (Octavo), CHAPTER II. (Black Fish).
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- 5906
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- 2026-01-30T20:47:54.527Z
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- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 5889
- text
- BOOK II. (_Octavo_), CHAPTER II. (_Black Fish_).—I give the popular
fishermen’s names for all these fish, for generally they are the best.
Where any name happens to be vague or inexpressive, I shall say so, and
suggest another. I do so now, touching the Black Fish, so-called,
because blackness is the rule among almost all whales. So, call him the
Hyena Whale, if you please. His voracity is well known, and from the
circumstance that the inner angles of his lips are curved upwards, he
carries an everlasting Mephistophelean grin on his face. This whale
averages some sixteen or eighteen feet in length. He is found in almost
all latitudes. He has a peculiar way of showing his dorsal hooked fin
in swimming, which looks something like a Roman nose. When not more
profitably employed, the sperm whale hunters sometimes capture the
Hyena whale, to keep up the supply of cheap oil for domestic
employment—as some frugal housekeepers, in the absence of company, and
quite alone by themselves, burn unsavory tallow instead of odorous wax.
Though their blubber is very thin, some of these whales will yield you
upwards of thirty gallons of oil.
- title
- BOOK II. (Octavo), CHAPTER II. (Black Fish).