114 COMMON DOLPHIN AND PORPESSE. 



there is a double orifice. Its lips are brown, and some- 

 what resemble a twisted rope. On the hinder part of the 

 back there is a straight, soft, and sharply-pointed fin, be- 

 tween three and four feet long. The colour of the upper 

 parts of the body is a clear brown, and of the lower parts 

 white. 



46. DOLPHIN TRIBE. 



All the species of Dolphin are very voracious. They 

 are generally found in herds ; and eagerly pursue fish, 

 seals, and other marine animals. Like the whales, they 

 have a thick layer of fat, or blubber, on the outside of 

 their bodies, betwixt the skin and the flesh. 



Common Dolphin and Porpesse. In nearly all their 

 habits, the Dolphin and Porpesse have a close resemblance 

 to each other. The former are, however, much less com- 

 mon in the neighbourhood of the British shores than the 

 latter. They are each found throughout the European 

 Ocean, and the Dolphin is by no means uncommon in 

 the Pacific. They generally swim in troops and with 

 great velocity, and are fond of playing about in the wate/. 

 Their appearance is, however, much dreaded by seamen, 

 who consider their presence as the invariable indication 

 of approaching storms. They feed on all kinds of fish, 

 but more particularly on such as swim in large shoals, 

 as cod, herrings, and mackerel : and, occasionally, they 

 root about in the mud at the bottom of the ocean, in 

 pursuit of flat-fish. They seldom produce more than a 

 single young one at a birth. The different estimation in 

 which these animals have been held by mankind is very 

 singular. The Dolphin, consecrated to the gods, was 

 celebrated for its love to the human race, and was honoured 



