224 THE COMMON PORPOISE. 



the abdomen. The pectorals are brownish, though 



they rise from a white groimd. The teeth, accord- 



23 23 

 ing to Fr. Cuvier, are f^' ,^ , in all ninety -two ; they 



are all equally flat and cutting, straight, and some- 

 what rounded at the edge. Tlie brain is large and 

 convex, and formed of numerous and deep convo- 

 lutions lying over the cerebellum. Of all animals, 

 the only other groups which in this respect resemble 

 man, are the dolphins and the monkeys. 



Tlie Porpoise is found in all the seas of Europe, 

 in the Atlantic Ocean, and in the MediteiTanean. 

 In a late report of a committee of the House of 

 Commons on the public works of Ireland, it is stated 

 " that Porpoises abound in abnost innimierable 

 shoals on the western shores of Ireland ;" localities 

 certainly pre-eminently suited to their tastes. It is 

 to be regretted that they are not there made the 

 objects of regular pursuit, for it could not fail to be 

 liighly useful to poor and unfortunate Ireland to 

 convert these shoals to an economic purpose, not 

 only for the sake of the oil, which is of the purest 

 kind, but also for the skins, as alluded to at the 

 conclusion of this article. The porpoises form them- 

 selves into considerable shoals, the individuals of 

 which frequently swim in a line one before anotlier, 

 never showdng at the surface more than the upper 

 part of their body, and in such a way that they ap- 

 pear to make a revolving motion on themselves. 

 They appear never to leave the coasts, and are 

 never met with in the high seas. They ascend the 



