28 Toothed Whales; Grampus and Dolphins. 



a, show depends on so many contingencies (season, weather, &c.) 

 that nothing is certain. Frequently, then, a whale turns out 

 not a valuable prize to the fishermen, but, on the contrary, a 

 veritable loss in several ways. 



Toothed Whales. Of these, eight different species have been 

 obtained within our Sea Fisheries District. Excepting the 

 porpoise, there is great irregularity in the recurrence of visita- 

 tions from the others. Those below numbered 1 and 2 (possibly 

 3 and 4 (?) ) appear to reach our shores by the South Channel 

 route, while the rest come rather with the flood- wave from the 

 North Sea. 



(1.) The WHITE-BEAKED BOTTLE-NOSE (Lagenorhynchus albi- 

 rostris), whereof the adult is from 7 feet to 9 feet long, has had one 

 example taken off South Kent by Folkestone fishermen, a second 

 off Ramsgate ; and of a school of seven or nine (?) which ascended 

 the Colne, llth September, 1889, five were despatched. 



(2.) Risso's Grampus {Grampus griseus), which attains 9 

 to 10 or e^ren 12 feet, has likewise been captured in the English 

 Channel, seawards off Dungeness or Rye (?), besides in the River 

 Crouch, 5th September, 1887 (Laver Zool., 1888). 



(3.) The COMMON DOLPHIN (Delphinus delphis) it seems is not 

 so commonly got on our eastern coast as its name implies. Yet 

 it is numerous outside our territorial waters in the North Sea ; 

 whither it delights to follow vessels and gambol round them, or 

 to pursue the shoals of herring and mackerel. Its size is 6 feet 

 to 8 feet. One was secured at Herne Bay in 1868, which the 

 late Frank Buckland purchased and made a cast of. Eels were 

 found in its stomach. 



(4.) The BOTTLE-NOSE DOLPHIN (Tursiops turaio) is often 

 confounded with the preceding, which in outward aspect it 

 somewhat resembles, though anatomically they differ. Besides 

 being considerably larger when adult, and with a shorter snout, it 

 has fewer, stouter teeth ; whereas the Common Dolphin has double 

 the number, these are quite diminutive in size; likewise a tawny 

 tint along the sides of the body. The question arises, whether 



