

ZOOLOGY. 



ON A PORPOISE WITH INTERMEDIATE TEETH-LIKE 



BODIES, &C. 



By ROBERT WALKER, F. G. S. E. 



HHE Porpoise is the smallest, the most common, and, 

 popularly at least, the best known member of the Whale 

 family that frequents the European coasts. It is pretty widely 

 distributed, extending from Greenland to the Mediterranean, if 

 not further south. It is sometimes stranded in its rambles 

 along the coast, it is not unfrequently caught in herring and 

 other nets, to which it is very destructive, and occasionally it 

 gets entangled in the fishermen's loag lines. As it is very 

 easily killed or drowned, in these cases it is generally secured 

 without much difficulty. The individual about to be noticed 

 was taken in the latter way, in St Andrews Bay, in the end of 

 July 1872. 



It was five feet seven inches in length, and looked a fat, 

 healthy, well-formed animal, having externally the general ap- 

 pearance of the common porpoise ( Phoccena communis ). 



On putting my finger into its mouth I was rather surprised to 

 feel the bluntisb. points of small intermediate teeth-like bodies, 

 situated on the margin of both sides of the upper and lower 

 jaws. Unfortunately it was too dark by this time to examine 

 it further that night. I could not find anyone to whom it 

 belonged, but, as I was lead to believe that it was not disposed 

 of, I thought it would be safe enough where it was until next 

 morning. On returning to the place where it lay pretty early 

 next morning, however, I- was disappointed to see that it had 

 been removed, and still more so when, upon ascertaining its 

 whereabouts, I found that it was already " flensed" for the oil 



