MAMMALIA OF SOLWAY 209 



confined within some of the banks, but they eventually got out 

 of the firth again. A Rorqual was caught near Port William 

 in July 1889, and one caught in Lochryan a few weeks ago was 

 also described as a Rorqual. Although there is little if any 

 doubt that in these instances all were Rorquals, yet that they 

 were all Common Rorquals is very doubtful indeed. 



BOTTLE-NOSE, Hyperoodon rostratus. Of " Bottle-nosed " Whales 

 there are numerous records, yet of all those so called, only one 

 an individual stranded on Priestside in September 1876 

 has been authenticated. The upper part of its skull is now in 

 the Observatory Museum. Of those said to have been " Bottle- 

 noses " may be mentioned One stranded at Innerwell, 1801; 

 two taken in Innerwell salmon-nets, June 1821; one stranded 

 at Southerness, September 1822 ; one stranded at Carsethorn, 

 2 yth August 1832; two stranded at Lochryan, i6th October 

 1839 ; one taken in salmon-nets, Innerwell, 2oth August 1844 ; 

 one stranded in Balcary Bay, 28th September 1850; one 

 floating dead near Corsewall Lighthouse, iSth October 1856; 

 one cast ashore, Southpark, Borgue, 3rd August 1862. 



COMMON PORPOISE, Phoccena communis. Very abundant at times 

 inside the Firth, herds of many hundreds being occasionally 

 seen disporting round Southerness. Whenever a good run of 

 salmon occurs the Porpoises are pretty sure to be in their wake. 

 My friend Mr. Robert Major, Carsethorn, tells me an interest- 

 ing episode that happened in his fishing one day a year or two 

 ago. He was taking in his whammle-net abreast of Southerness, 

 and found a small Porpoise entangled in the net. Being in 

 need of oil at the time, he lifted the porpoise into the boat and 

 thought no more about it, although he had noticed that the 

 animal had a companion that had followed it to the boat-side. 

 After he had stowed the net, he sailed right up to Carsethorn, 

 taking about half an hour. Just as he was about to moor the 

 boat, he saw that the same Porpoise had followed the boat, 

 and was now swimming round it. At once suspecting it was 

 seeking its lost mate, he looked at the captured Porpoise, 

 and finding it was still alive, he lifted it overboard, where its 

 companion received it with apparent relief, and both of them 

 swam directly off in company. After the salmon shoals they 

 will sometimes come considerable distances up the rivers, and 

 I have seen individuals caught in the salmon-nets up as far as 

 Kingholm on the Nith. There is a tradition that about the 

 middle of last century a herd of some hundreds was captured 

 as far up the Nith as Castledykes pool, fully five miles from 

 the estuary, and so much oil was rendered from the carcases 

 that all the people living in the neighbourhood had enough for 

 their lamps during the entire winter following. 



