CETACEA. 91 



in. lin. 



Skull : Length, entire 24 



nose 11 6 



from tip of nose to back 



of palate 14 6 



teeth line 5 6 



lower jaw 16 6 



Breadth at preorbital notch 9 6 



at middle of nose 9 



at temple 17 



of intermaxillary 6 



Head thick, square, and short ; the snout blunt and but little 

 prominent. The angles of the lips are curved upwards, giving 

 the physiognomy an innocent smiling expression. Body clumsy, 

 round and broad, and the termination of the trunk in the tail-fin 

 rather abrupt. Bennett, L c. 233. 



Colnett (Voy. S. Pacific] speaks of innumerable shoals of 

 Black-fish on the shores of California. 



The contents of the stomach were chiefly cuttle-fish. 



The Black-fish roam about the ocean in very large troops a 

 solitary individual is occasionally seen are active and watchful, 

 but betray little concern at ships or boats. They appear to in- 

 habit the greater portion of the aqueous globe, uninfluenced by 

 the remoteness or vicinity of land. We observed examples in 

 many parallels of latitude between the equator and 50 N. and 

 53 S., in the central part of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as 

 well as off the coast of California and in the Indian Archipelago. 



Sperm whalers often attack this species with then- boats in 

 order to obtain a supply of oil for ship consumption ; some risk 

 however attends their capture, for when harpooned they will 

 sometimes leap into a boat. A Black-fish of average size will 

 produce from 30 to 35 gallons of oil, which in its most recent 

 state has a dark colour and an unpleasant odour. Bennett, 235. 



It is probable that Mr. Bennett in the above range confounded 

 together under the name of Black-fish more than one species. 



* Doubtful Species. 

 ? Delphinus feres, Bonnat. Cetac. 27. 



Blackish ; teeth \%, large and small, curved, compressed before 

 and behind ; crown oval, rounded and divided into two lobes by 

 a groove which extends their whole length. 



Inhab. Mediterranean, Malta. 



Length 14 feet. Skull : length 1 foot 10 inches, breadth 1 foot 



