546 BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN. 
Dolphin, in common with the porpoise and all the cetaceans, was considered as belonging 
to the fishes, its flesh was a permitted diet upon maigre days, when all flesh meat was 
rigidly forbidden by ecclesiastic prohibition, and was served to table with a sauce 
composed of bread-crumbs, vinegar, and sugar. Now-a-days, however, the flesh of the 
Dolphin has fallen entirely into disrepute as an article of diet, and is not to be restored to 
its former station even by the force of prelatical discipline. 
It is a lively and playful animal, and being remarkably active in its native element, 
is fond of gambolling among the waves, and engaging in various sports with its companions. 
Being of a very gregarious nature, it is seldom seen alone, but prefers to associate in little 
flocks or herds, and is in the habit of accompanying ships for considerable distances, 
hovering about the vessel and executing various strange manceuvres. Sometimes it falls a 
victim to its curiosity, and when paying too close a visit to the vessel is struck with the 
“orains,” or barbed trident, which is kept on board in readiness for such an occasion, and 
is hauled struggling on deck, where it is soon deprived of life. 
The formation of the Dolphin’s brain is of such a nature that it indicates great 
intelligence on the part of its possessor, and goes far towards confirming some of the 
current reports on this subject. It is said that Dolphins have been tamed and taught to 
feed from the hand of their instructor, beside performing sundry feats at his bidding. 
That the seals are eminently capable of instruction is a well-known fact, and it is probable 
that the Dolphins may not be less endowed with intellectual powers. 
From the peculiar shape of the snout and jaws, which are rather flattened and 
considerably elongated, the animal has derived its French titles of “Bee dOie” and “Oie 
de Mer,” ve. Goose-beak, or Sea-goose. The forehead is rather rounded, and descends 
suddenly towards the base of the “beak.” The “beak” itself is about six inches in length 
in a moderately sized specimen, and is separated from the forehead by a small but distinct 
ridge. The Dolphin only produces a single young one at a time, and nurses her offspring 
with exceeding tenderness and assiduity. 
The common Dolphin is found in the European seas, and in the Atlantic and the 
Mediterranean, and may possibly have a still wider range. There are Dolphins to be found 
near the coasts of Africa and America, but whether they belong to the same species as the 
common Dolphin is at present a mooted point, 
BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN.—Delphinus Tursio, 
Iy the BorrLE-Nosrp DoLPaIn there is not such an extraordinary array of teeth as in 
the preceding animal, their maximum number being one hundred, and their average about 
eighty-five. The average length of this animal is between seven and eight feet, although 
specimens have been taken which measured between ten and eleven feet in length. 
