692 



CETOLOGY. 



Cetology. timea of enormous length. They are not confined to 

 s -Y-'" / the northern ocean, but are found in most seas, and 

 in the mouths of large rivers. 



The number of species is variously marked by dif- 

 ferent authors ; some, with Linne, reckoning only 

 four, while others extend them to the number of 

 eight or nine. We shall describe but four. 



Species 1. Delphinus Phoccena; the Porpesse, or 

 Porpoise. 



Porpeise. Tursio, Rondelet, Hist, des Poissons. Le Mar- 

 souin. Belon, Des Poissons. Delphinus corporefere 

 coniformi, dorso lato, rostra subacuto. Artedi Synop. 

 Porpesse, Willughby, Ichthyol. Raii, Synop. Pise. 

 Pennant, Brit. Zool. vol. iii. Shaw, Gen. Zool. vol. 

 ii. part 2. Dauphin Marsouin, La Cepede, Hist. 

 Nat. des Cetaces, p. 287. 



This is the best known of all the dolphin tribe. 

 It is generally six or seven feet in length ; thick in the 

 forepart of the body, and gradually tapering towards 

 the tail. Its colour is a bluish black, or very dark 

 brown on the upper parts, and whitish on the belly. 

 The snout projects a little, but is on the whole short 

 and broad. In each jaw there are about 48 teeth, 

 that are small, sharp-pointed, and a little moveable. 

 The tongue is flat, jagged at the edges, and fastened 

 below. The eyes are small. The tail is semilunar, 

 and the dorsal fin is placed nearer the tail than the 

 head. 



This species is well known in all the European 

 seas, and abounds in those of North America. They 

 are seen in greatest numbers about the time when the 

 migratory shoals of fish, as mackerel, herrings, &c. 

 make their appearance, when they are sometimes in 

 such great numbers, as to darken the surface of the 

 water. 



They feed on most small fish, especially herrings, 

 whitings, salmon, and sand-eels. They pursue their 

 prey with great eagerness ; and in search of those 

 which take refuge in the sand, they burrow with 

 their snouts like a hog. Hence the names of Mar- 

 souin, Marstvin, and Porpesse, (Sea- swine,) given to 

 them by most of the European nations. They are 

 gregarious, and seem affectionate towards each other. 

 They are often seen to frolic and gambol on the sur- 

 face of the ocean, a circumstance whicli is considered 

 by sailors as a sure prognostic of stormy weather. 



The blubber of the porpesse is exceedingly thick, 

 and affords a large quantity of excellent oil. The 

 flesh is by no means ill-tasted. It was formerly con- 

 sidered as a sumptuous article of food, and was occa- 

 sionally introduced at the tables of the English nobi- 

 lity. It was eaten with a sauce composed of crumbs 

 of bread mixed with sugar and vinegar, and called 

 porpesse sauce. In America, the skin is used by the 

 poor inhabitants for making waistcoats and breeches, 

 and is said to form an excellent covering for coaches. 

 For these purposes it is pared on the fleshy side till 

 it becomes nearly transparent, and is afterwards tan- 

 ned and dressed with considerable care. 



The inhabitants of Canada, about the river St 

 Lawrence, adopt an amusing method of taking por- 

 pesses. They collect together a considerable num- 

 ber of slender branches of sallows, willows, or similar 

 trees, and stick them firmly into the sand-banks across 

 the mouth of the river, which are commonly left dry 

 at low water, so as to form a long line of twigs, ha- 



ving the upper end connected with the shore, and an Cetology 

 opening left next the sea, by which the porpesses S *-^Y^^* 

 may enter. As the tide rises, the water covers the 

 twigs, so as to keep them out of sight, and the por- 

 pesses entering the river in quest of their prey, get 

 within the line, where they continue the chace till they 

 find, by the ebbing of the tide, that it is time to retreat 

 into deeper water. They now make towards the sea, 

 but the twigs coming then into sight, and being all agi- 

 tated by the current of the tide, form such an alarm- 

 ing spectacle, that they retire in great fright from 

 this tremendous rampart. The tide continuing to 

 ebb, the porpesses return from time to time, but not 

 being able to conquer their dread of those terrific 

 twigs, they flounder about till they are entirely de- 

 serted by the tide, when the inhabitants, watching 

 the favourable opportunity, commence the attack, 

 and soon overpower the defenceless animals. In this 

 manner, more than 100 porpesses, each yielding about 

 a hogshead of oil, are sometimes taken at a single 

 tide. See Bingley's Animal Biography, vol. ii. p. 150. 



Species 2. Delphinus Delphis ; the Dolphin. 



Le Dauphin ou Oye de Mer, Belon, Hist. Des Dolphin.. 

 Poissons. Delphinus Antiquorum, Willughby, Ich- 

 thyol. Raii. Synop. Pise. Delphinus corpore Inn- 

 go subleriti, rostro longo acute, Artedi, Syn. Del. 

 phin, Anderson's Island. Dolphin, Borlase's Corn- 

 wall. Pennant, Brit. Zool. vol. iii. Shaw, Gen. 

 Zool. vol. ii. part 2. Dauphin Fulgaire, La Cepede, 

 Nat. Hist, des Cetaces, p. 250. 



The figure of the dolphin has been greatly misre- 

 presented by painters and sculptors. The recurved 

 tail, the monstrous head with pendant lips, and eyes 

 protected by enormous brows, which we see in the 

 usual painted and engraved figures of a dolphin, are 

 mere creatures of imagination. 



The length of this species is often nine or ten feet, 

 and its body is about two feet in diameter at the thick- 

 est part, thus being very slender in proportion to ita 

 length. It is of a black colour above, and white be- 

 low. The nose is long, narrow, and pointed, some- 

 thing like the beak of a bird, whence Belon's name 

 of Oye de Mer, or sea-goose ; but there is a trans- 

 verse fold of the skin across the upper part of the 

 snout. The number of teeth varies ; but according 

 to Mr Pennant, there are usually 21 in the upper, 

 and 19 in the lower jaw ; we presume he means on 

 each side. The mouth is very wide, reaching almost 

 to the insertion of the head. The dorsal fin is high, 

 and placed rather nearer the tail than the head ; the 

 swimming paws are situated low, and the tail is semi- 

 lunar. 



The dolphin inhabits the Atlantic and Pacific 

 Oceans, and is often seen accompanying ships on their 

 passage to the East or West Indies. It occasionally 

 appears in the British seas. 



Like most of their congeners, they live on small 

 fish, though they will eat any offal and garbage that 

 is thrown into the sea. They are said to attack 

 whales ; though we suspect those who suppose they 

 have seen such a circumstance, have mistaken another 

 species for the dolphin. They are gregarious, and 

 like porpesses often sport about on the surface, and 

 leap out of the water, so as to be entirely visible. In 

 these leaps, their back is a little curved, but not near- 

 ly so much arched as is commonly represented. They 



