THE FAUNA OF LIVERPOOI.. 



Order CETACEA. 



Family DELPHINID^E. 



Genus PHOC^INA. 

 Phoc^ina Communis. Common Porpoise. 



Frequent in shoals during stormy and changeable weath(;r. 



Genus HYPEROODON. 

 Hypeeoodon Butzkopf. Bottle-head. 



One stranded upon East Hoyle Bank, 1850, and exhibited at Tranmere Slip, 

 after which it was cut up at Hoylake, and 14:0 gallons of oil obtained from its 

 blubber. The stomach contained great numbers of the horny beaks of some 

 species of cuttle. Although these have been found frequently in the stomachs 

 of whales, in this instance the mode of their arrangement was remarkable, as 

 the beaks were inserted one within another, so as to ride, regularly imbricated, 

 in rows of ten, fifteen, or twenty together. I have pulled as many as seven 

 asunder, and the person who took them from the stomach informed me that 

 they formed rows, in some instances, of an inch and a-half in length. Many 

 were so firmly impacted that they requii-ed strong traction to separate them, 

 and sometimes they would break rather than come asunder. This curious 

 arrangement must have been brought about by the peristaltic movements 

 of the stomach. 



Another specimen was captured at the Little Moels two years ago. 



August 25, 1853, a male of this species was stranded upon East Hoyle 

 Bank; its length was 31 feet; from the angle of the mouth to the tip of the 

 snout, 20 inches ; from tip of snout to eye, 3 feet 6 inches ; eye to spiracle, 

 2 feet 3 inches. The pectoral fins were 1 foot 9 inches long, and 9 inches 

 broad ; tail fin or propeller, 5 feet 6 inches broad, and 2 feet long ; the dorsal 

 fin about 10 or 11 feet from the tail ; from the vent to the tail, 7 feet 6 inches ; 

 orifice of urethra to anal opening, 1 foot 10 inches ; the length of the snout 

 was 1 foot 3 inches. I had an opportunity of seeing the stomach opened, 

 and observed great numbers, certainly many hundreds, of the cuttle beaks ; 

 many were unattached, but others were placed one within another, as in the 

 foregoing instance. 



Another of the same species, probably his female mate, was seen swimming 

 about the same locality for three weeks after his capture, and was driven by 

 three fishing boats upon the same bank, which, however, was covered with 

 sufficient water to enable it to " flounder off." 



