382 CETACEA. 



gluttony ; when one of a band is slain, the others at once fall on the. body 

 and tear it to pieces. During the pairing season the males fight des- 

 perately, and the slain rival is at once devouied. The females, after a 

 pregnancy of ten months, bring forth one or two young ones, which they 

 suckle for a long time, cherish with the utmost care, and defend against 

 all dangers. It is conjectured that they grow slowly, and live long. 



The Delphinidte are less pursued by man than other Cetacea ; their 

 chief enemies are those of their own kindred. Their own impulsiveness 

 leads to their destruction very frequently ; they follow their prey with 

 such fury, that they rush blindfold into shallow water, or on to the 

 treacherous strand, where the fishers sometimes find them by dozens. 

 When wounded to death they utter lamentable groans and sighs, which 

 are usually accompanied by floods of tears. 



As all members of the family exhibit the greatest uniformity in their 

 habits and modes of life, we confine ourselves to a description of the 

 most important genera. The family is divided by Carus into four sub- 

 families and eight genera, but Dr. Gray distributes it into tzvcnty-four 

 genera and one hundred species. 



GENUS PLATANISTA. 



The name Platanista is given by Pliny to a dolphin which he 

 describes as living in the Ganges, and measuring twenty-three feet in 

 length. The actual animal is much smaller, being only six feet long. 



The SOOSOOK, Platanista Gangetica, has a slender body, remarkable 

 for the curious shape of its beak, which is long, slender, compressed at 

 the sides, and larger at the extremity than at the middle. It possesses 

 one hundred and twenty teeth. It is a swift and powerful but sluggish 

 animal, never caring to exert itself except in pursuit of its prey. Its 

 color is grayish-black upon the back, white on the abdomen ; the eye is 

 extraordinarily small, being about one-eighth of an inch in diameter. 

 The dorsal fin is indicated by a projection of the skin. 



As far as is known, this remarkable dolphin is found only in the 

 Ganges and its various arms. It often goes far up the country, but is 

 usually found near the mouth. It is as social as the other dolphins, lives 

 on fishes and aquatic animals, and is said to pluck the ears of rice or the 

 fruits which bend over the stream. Tlie natives pursue it for the sake of 



