I2i8 THE CETACEANS 



flesh for winter use, and in parts of Siberia the Eskimo dogs are mainly fed on this 

 meat. The fat is considered a luxurious dish in winter. In Russia, white whale 

 skin is used for reins and traces, and it is now exported in some quantities to 

 England under the name of porpoise hide. In some of the Siberian rivers, white 

 whale are harpooned and lanced in the ordinary manner, but in other districts they 

 are taken in nets from June to September. 



PORPOISES 

 Genus Phoccena 



The common porpoise (Phoccena comnninis), of the European seas, is the best- 

 known representative of a genus readily distinguished from all the others by the 

 characteristics of the teeth. These are from sixteen to twenty-six in number on 

 each side of the jaws, and are very small, with flattened spade-like crowns separated 

 from the roots by a distinct neck; sometimes the upper border of the crown is en- 

 tire, but in other cases it is divided into two or three distinct lobes. In size, por- 

 poises are small, and the head has a rounded muzzle, without a beak. There is- 

 generally a fin on the back, although this is wanting in one species. The skull has 

 a very broad palate, and the union between the two branches of the lower jaw is 

 very short. There are frequently one or more rows of horny tubercles on the front 

 edge of the back fin, or of the ridge which takes its place. 



The common porpoise is by far the best known of all the Cetaceans 

 frequenting the British coasts, generally keeping near the shores, and 

 often ascending the larger rivers to considerable distances. It is 

 characterized by having twenty -five to twenty-six teeth on each side of the jaws, by 

 the sloping head, the equality in the length of the upper and lower jaws, and by the 

 length of the mouth exceeding half that of the flipper. There is a large fin on the 

 back, which is triangular in shape, and situated somewhat in advance of the middle 

 of the total length of the animal. In length, the common porpoise measures about 

 five feet, or rather more. The color of the upper parts is dark slate, or blackish, 

 while the sides become gradually lighter till the color fades into the pure white of 

 the under parts. In some cases there is a yellowish or pinkish tinge on the 

 flukes. 



The distribution of this species is extensive, comprising the North 

 Distribution Atlantic and North Pac ifi c Oceans, the North Sea, and the coasts of 



Europe. In Davis Strait it extends as far northward as latitude 67 or 69, and it. 



also occurs on the Alaskan coasts; while southward it extends in America to the 



shores of New Jersey and Mexico. In the Mediterranean it is comparatively rare. 



Porpoises associate in shoals or herds of considerable size, and their 



sportive gambols are probably familiar to most of our readers. Few 



sights are, indeed, more interesting than to watch a shoal of these animals diving 



and sporting round a vessel, whether it be making rapid headway, or lying at 



anchor. At one moment will be seen the roll of the arched back, surmounted by 



