THE GRAMPUS. 543 
Porpoise made its appearance in the “silver Thames ;” for the combined influences of 
steamboats and sewerage afford a most effectual barrier to the presence in our beautiful 
river of any animal which could in any way remain in the sweet waters of the open sea. 
Other less maltreated rivers ave often honoured with the visits of Porpoises; and it is 
seldom that a year passes away without several notices in local newspapers of Porpoises 
which have been seen or captured in fresh water. 
The length of a full-grown Porpoise is extremely variable, the average being from six 
to eight feet. In this animal the very great size of the new-born young is very remarkable. 
A mother-Porpoise and her new-born offspring were taken in the Frith of Forth in 1838. 
The length of the mother was four feet eight inches, and her girth two feet ten inches ; 
while the leneth of her offspring was two feet ten inches, and its girth sixteen inches, 
On the nose of the young Porpoise there are always two thick bristles, which fall out as 
the creature advances in age, and cause two depressions, which have erroneously been 
taken for nostrils. The colour of the Porpoise is a blue-black on the upper surface of the 
body, and a bright silvery white below; so that when the animal executes one of its 
favourite gyrations the contrasting tints produce a strange effect as they rapidly succeed 
each other. The iris of the eye is yellowish. 
The word Porpoise is corrupted from the French term “ Pore-poisson,” 7¢.e. Hog-fish, 
and bears the same signification as its German name, “ Meerschwein.” 
When the skin of a Porpoise is removed from the body, a layer of white fat is seen 
lying upon the flesh, about an inch in depth. This fatty layer melts into oil when 
subjected to the action of heat, and is very fine and delicate in its quality. In common 
with the oil of other of the Porpoises, it contains a peculiar volatile acid, which can be 
separated from the fat by chemical agency, and is termed phocenine. The odour of this 
substance is very powerful, and its taste is acrid and aromatic. It does not congeal even 
when its temperature is lowered to fourteen degrees above zero, and its boiling point is 
higher than that of water. 
The skin of the Porpoise is well suited for tanning, and can be manufactured into 
valuable leather. As it is‘naturally too thick and heavy for this process, it is planed 
down until it becomes partially transparent, and is then employed for covering carriages, 
as well as for some articles of apparel. 
In former times the flesh of the Porpoise was valued very highly, and was looked 
upon as a regal dish, being cooked with bread-crumbs and vinegar. Before it is dressed 
it is very unpleasing to the eye, being dark-colored, coarse-looking, and evidently too full 
of blood; and its favour when cooked is said to be coarse and unpleasant. As the 
Porpoise was conventionally considered as a fish, in common with the otter, seal, and 
certain sea-fowl, by the ecclesiastical rulers of the land, its flesh was a great boon to those 
who cared not for a fish diet on the multiplied meagre days which studded the calendar, 
and at the same time were too reverential towards their ecclesiastical superiors to eat that 
which was openly considered as butchers’ meat. 
On examining the jaws of a Porpoise, we find them to be closely set with rather long, 
sharp, compressed, and formidable teeth, variable m number, but always multitudinous. 
There are seldom less than eighty teeth in a Porpoise’s mouth, and in the jaws of the 
female specimen which has already been mentioned there were no less than one hundred 
and two teeth, twenty-six on each side of the upper jaw, and twenty-five on each side of 
the lower. In these animals there is no perceptible distinction between the teeth, 
incisors, canines, and molars being all alike. 
Tue head of the GRAMPUS is more rounded than that of the porpoise, and its forehead 
is more convex. There are several species of Delphinidee which are called by the name of 
Grampus, the best known of which is the ordinary or common Grampus. 
It is a decidedly large animal, an adult specimen measuring from twenty to thirty 
feet in leneth, and from ten to twelve in girth. The teeth are not nearly so numerous as 
in the porpoise, being only forty-four in total number, eleven at each side of each jaw. 
In shape they are somewhat conical, strongly made, and slightly curved. The colour of 
the Grampus is black on the upper part of the body, suddenly changing into white on 
