OTHER CREATURES WHICH LIVE IN THE SEA. 117 



which his blood is purified; but the whale has 

 lungs, and if he did not come up for air, he would 

 drown as surely as you would. The difference is 

 that he can naturally hold his breath a good deal 

 longer than you can, and he has been trained to 

 do it ever since he was born. 



There are smaller animals than the whale, 

 which behave in nearly the same manner. Near 

 the shore and in the bays is the black Porpoise, 

 which grows to a length of from three to six feet. 

 You often see them swimming in pairs, and fre- 

 quently bobbing up to the surface for a breath of 

 air. 



I once watched a pair of porpoises from the deck 

 of a ferry-boat. They would come up to breathe, 

 and immediately sink a few feet, swimming with 

 all their might, and fairly keeping up with the 

 boat. I suppose they expected that something 

 good would be thrown overboard from the cook's 

 galley, for them to pick up. I hope they were not 

 disappointed. 



Sometimes from the shore you can see a huge 

 Grampus, or perhaps a whole school of them 

 swimming in a row. Their habits are like those 

 of the whale and the porpoise, and they are mid- 

 way between them in size. All of these animals 

 have smooth skins and a fish-like form; but the 



