284 FAUNA AMERICANA. 



ed; the inferior being the longest, and having 

 forty-eight very small, sharp, and conical teeth ; 

 the superior jaw having thirty ; dorsal fin in form 

 of a small cross, nearer to the tail than head ; cau- 

 dal fin forming an entire cross. The pectoral fins 

 of moderate size; jcolour, uniform black, both 

 above and beneath ; forehead surmounted with 

 two yellow concentric circles, the largest being 

 two feet nine inches in diameter, and the inte- 

 rior nearly two feet one inch. 



Habit. This Dolphin is common in the frozen 

 ocean. They begin to show themselves in the 

 seventy-fourth degree of north latitude ; they 

 abound particularly about the islands of Spitz- 

 bergen ; are not very timid, and often approach 

 the vessels. The water which they propel 

 through their blowers, is expelled with much 

 noise and velocit}^, appearing like light vapour ; 

 they seldom attain more than six feet in length. 



2. Subgenus. Delphiniis, Blain. 



Snout prolonged into a moderate sized beak, 

 broad at its base, rounded at the extremity like 

 the bill of a goose, and separated from the fore- 

 head by a sort of groove ; jaw s more broad pos- 

 teriorly; borders furnished with teeth their en- 

 tire length ; a single dorsal fin« 



Species. 

 I Delphinis delphis, Desni. Mamm. p. 514 



