236 



Thirteenth Genus.— DELPHINUS. 



Having a convex forehead ; the snout, in form of a beak, is 

 distinguished from the forehead by a marked furrow. 



We have already mentioned, that formerly the genus 

 Delphinus included the four preceding genera and 

 the succeeding genus. Lacepede, after separating 

 the Delphinapterae, introduced eleven species into 

 his history; and Cuvier, after withdrawing the por- 

 poises likewise, and introducing other improvements 

 into the classification, reduced the number of hving 

 species, established in 1823, to five fOss. Foss. v. 

 275). Though the old genus Delphinus has now 

 been broken down into no less than nine subdi- 

 visions, and there are many species in these ; yet in 

 the genus of proper Dolphins the number of species 

 akeady amounts to nearly twenty, and it is the 

 opinion of those most conversant with the subject, 

 that tliis forms but a small proportion of the existing 

 varieties. This great increase has been OA/ving prin- 

 cipaUy to the discoveries of recent voyagers, and 

 these chiefly French naturalists, who have been sent 

 out by their government in connexion with national 

 voyages of discovery for scientific and commercial 

 purposes ; and who, after being rewarded for their 

 labours, were also enabled, at the pubUc expense, 



