128 GIANT FISHES 



cutting-edge in front. The mouth is wide, and the jaws are 

 provided with bands of small, curved, pointed teeth, which are 

 also present on the roof of the mouth and on the tongue. There 

 is a single dorsal fin, supported by many rays, which extends 

 from the nape nearly to the tail. The anal fin is similar, but 

 shorter. Neither of these fins has any true spines, but the 

 rays in front are unbranched and undoubtedly represent 

 degenerate spines. The caudal fin is long and widely forked. 

 The pectoral fins are short and sickle-shaped. The longer 

 pelvic fins are placed below them, and lie partly in a groove 

 in the belly when folded back ; there is no scaly process at the 

 root of each pelvic fin. The lateral line is irregularly bent 

 above the pectoral fin, but then runs straight to the tail. 

 The coloration is a brilliant green or blue above, shading to 

 silvery white below, with purple and golden reflections, and 

 with a series of bright blue spots on the head and back. The 

 dorsal fin is purplish-blue, with paler oblique lines, and the 

 other fins are tinged with blue ; the caudal fin is yellow. 



Grows to a length of 6 feet. 



The Common Dolphin or Dorado (C. hippurus) is probably 

 the only species, and is found in most tropical and subtropical 

 seas. A second but smaller species (C. equisetis) has been 

 described, but this may prove to be merely the young stage 

 of the Common Dolphin. Fossil members of this family are 

 known from rocks of the Eocene period. 



The Dolphin is an oceanic fish, a strong and speedy 

 swimmer, and is looked upon as one of the most rapid of 

 fishes. It is found mostly near the surface, is a voracious 

 predatory fish, and has a marked partiality for flying-fishes, 

 which it pursues relentlessly. It is a curious looking creature, 

 famous for its brilliant hues, which, however, fade rapidly 

 after death. It is almost cosmopolitan in its distribution, 

 but is nowhere very abundant. Off Cape Hatteras, on the 

 coast of North Carolina, however, there has been found to be 

 an abundance of crustacean life brought to those waters by 

 the Gulf Stream ; these provide food for the flying-fishes, 

 which concentrate there in considerable numbers, and these 

 are followed by the Dolphins, which are likewise numerous. 



Nothing is known of the breeding habits of the Dolphin. A 

 female fish weighing 5 lb. was estimated to contain 500,000 



