42 VERTEBRATES: MAMMALS. 



and coming with great speed towards the fast whale 

 and the boats. No doubt that when the first whale 

 was struck he perceived it, and turned from his course 

 and came to assist or defend his partner. 



" Two schools of whales may be two or three miles 

 apart, and both thrashing the water with their tails, 

 and apparently taking no notice of each other ; but let 

 one of either school be struck, and those of the other 

 seem to know it instantly." 



DOLPHINS, PORPOISES, AND WHITE WHALE. 



These animals live in herds, and prey upon fishes. 

 The Common Dolphin is about eight feet long, black 



Fig. 73. Dolphin. 



above and white below. The ancients believed this 

 animal to be very docile and fond of music. The 

 White Whale lives in the Northern Seas, and is from 



Fig. 74. White Whale. 



ten to twenty feet long. It often ascends rivers, and 

 is frequently seen in the St. Lawrence. One of these 



