176 THE NATURAL HISTORY OF 



paws or fins are situated low, being inserted at the under 

 part of the breast, and are oval in shape. The tail is 

 semilunar, and is composed of two lobes, the one of 

 which folds over the other. 



The upper surface of the body is black; the chest 

 white. From beneath the eyes on each side passes a 

 white ray, which stretches towards the pectoral fins. 

 The dolphin is almost always an inhabitant of the open 

 seas, and very rarely approaches the shore. It is com- 

 monly found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and is 

 frequently seen accompanying ships on their passage to 

 the East or West Indies. It occasionally appears in the 

 British seas. The motions of this animal are incon- 

 ceivably swift ; hence it has been named by mariners as 

 the arroiv of the sea. 



Like most of their congeners, they live upon small 

 fish, though they will eat any offal and garbage that is 

 thrown into the sea. They are said to attack whales ; 

 but I am of opinion that those who have stated this cir- 

 cumstance from having witnessed it must have mistaken 

 another species for the dolphin. They are gregarious, 

 and, like the porpoises, frequently sport about upon the 

 surface, leaping out of the water, so as to be entirely 

 visible. In these leaps, their back is a little curved, but 

 not near so much as is commonly represented. They 

 are said to change their colour before death ; but this is 

 probably an error, arising from a different reflection of 

 the rays of light, when the body is in motion or at rest. 

 On the pieces of money in circulation during the reign 

 of Alexander the Great, and which are preserved by 

 Belon, as well as on other medals, the dolphin is repre- 

 sented with a very large head, a spacious open mouth, 

 and the tail raised above the head. 



No animal has been more celebrated by the ancient poets 



