1228 THE CETACEANS 



follow suit; and in this way large numbers are often captured by the inhabitants 

 of Iceland and the Faroe, Orkney, and Shetland islands. In disposition this spe- 

 cies is mild and gentle, and thus offers a marked contrast to the killer. Its chief 

 and favorite food is cuttle, but it is said also to eat fish. The young, of which 

 there is generally but one at a birth, are said to be born in the late summer, and 

 suckled throughout the winter. 



Regarding their capture in the islands of the North Sea and the At- 

 lantic, the late Professor Bell writes that, on the appearance of a herd, 

 " the whole fishing squadron of the neighborhood is put into requisition, each boat 

 being provided with a quantity of stones. The first object is 'to get to seaward of 

 the victims, then the boats are formed into a large semicircle, and the whole herd is 

 driven into some bay or creek. The stones are thrown to splash and frighten the 

 whales if they try to break back; and in Faroe ropes are stretched from boat to 

 boat, with wisps of straw hung at intervals. Should one whale break through the 

 line all is lost, as the rest will follow in spite of every exertion of the fishermen. 

 But if they are forced into shallow water, they plunge wildly on till they strand 

 themselves, and then the whole population rush upon them, armed with harpoons, 

 spears, hatchets, picks, spades, any weapon that comes to hand, and the cries and 

 dying struggles of the poor animals, the shouts of the men, the clash of the weapons, 

 and the bloody and troubled sea combine to form an extremely exciting, if some- 

 what revolting scene." It is stated that in this manner no less than 1,1 10 blackfish 

 were captured in Iceland in the winter of 1809-10, while upward of 2,080 were taken 

 in Faroe within a period of six weeks during the year 1845. 



Risso's DOLPHIN 

 Genus Grampus . 



Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) is a rare and rather large species, which ap- 

 pears to be the only representative of its genus, and is easily recognized by the 

 peculiar striped character of the skin; the arrangement of the stripes and the 

 general coloration presenting a large amount of individual variation. It is dis- 

 tinguished from all other dolphins, except the female narwhal, by the total absence 

 of teeth in the upper jaw; while in the lower jaw there are only from three to seven 

 small teeth on each side, and these confined to the anterior region of the jaw. In 

 general external characteristics Risso's dolphin approaches very closely to the black - 

 fish, but the front of the head is less completely globe-like, and the length of the 

 flippers somewhat less. The mouth is obliquely placed, and the lower jaw shorter 

 than the upper; while the back fin is high and pointed. The flukes are very nar- 

 row. The general color is slaty gray, mottled, and very irregularly streaked. As 

 a rule, the back, with its fin, and the flukes are dark gray or blackish, more or less 

 tinged with purple; while the flippers are blackish, mottled with gray. The head 

 and fore-half of the body are light gray, of varying tint, and more or less tinged 

 with yellow; the under parts are grayish white, and the whole body is marked with 

 a number of irregular and unsymmetrically-arranged light striae. In the young the 



