ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BLXLETIX. 



4.15 



A MOUNTED PORPOISE. 

 From a photograph by C. H. Townsend. 



PORPOISES. 



AFTER repeated failures, the efforts to 

 get living porpoises for the Aquarium 

 seem to give promise of success. 

 These bantams of the whale tribe have sel- 

 dom been seen in captivity, and being little 

 larger than adult sea-lions, would be ideal for 

 exhibition in a collection of marine animals. 



The manager of an aquai'ium has no ani- 

 mal market either at home or abroad from 

 which to draw specimens. He must make 

 special arrangements in each case, after in- 

 curring considerable expense, for the capture 

 and transportation of the manatees, wliite 

 whales or large fishes he desires. 



Liberal but unavailing oiFers have been 

 made to fishermen along the New Jersey 

 coast, in the hope of inducing them to un- 

 dertake the capture of porpoises whicli fre- 

 quently enter the smaller bays and inlets. 

 An especiallv favorable point has been located 

 in Xortli Carolina, and the Director of tlie 

 Aquarium now proposes to assume the ag- 

 gressive, and has ordered the construction of 

 special netting for a porpoise liunt. to begin 

 early in April. 



The Aquarium procured an injured por- 

 poise in August, 1905, which, however, lived 

 only four days. Several kinds of porpoises 

 are available: the common harbor species, 

 ( Pliocana communis J, five and one-half feet 

 long, known to fishermen as herring hog, and 

 puffing i^ig, and the common dolphin, ( Del- 

 phinus dclphis), seven and one-half feet long, 

 being the best known on our coast. 



These are, notwithstanding their classifica- 

 tion, only diminutive whales in general ap- 

 pearance. They have the same wide oceanic 

 habitat, and swim and blow in the same man- 

 ner. There seems to be no reason why they 

 should not live in captivity as well as the 

 manatee, if given room to move about. They 

 are warm-blooded air breathers, like the mana- 

 tee, and come to the surface about as often 

 to breathe. Being fish eaters they would be 

 even easier to provide for. If our porpoise 

 hunt is successful, and specimens can be kept 

 in the large central pool at the Aquarium, we 

 shall be able to learn something about por- 

 poises not to be found in books. 



The accompanying photograph of a 

 roughh--mounted porpoise was made by C. 

 H. Townsend, at ]Monterey, California, where 

 it was captured. 



