Dr. Clark on the Capture of a Bottle-nosed Dolphin. 101 



Mr. Jenyns mentions another instance of its occurrence in the 

 river at Preston, the length of which was 11 feet. 



Col. Montagu apparently describes another taken in the river 

 Dart in Devonshire, the length of which was 12 feet. 



Prof. Bell continues, " The history and description of this ani- 

 mal are still deficient; it is probably a rare or local species, 

 and may be chiefly confined to the northern seas ;" he also believes 

 it probable, with Mr. Jenyns (Brit. Vert. p. 41), that Delphinus 

 ti-uncatus of Mont. (Mem. Wern. Soc. iii. p. 75. t. 3) may be 

 admitted as a synonym of this species. The one described by 

 Montagu as taken in the river Dart in Devon, about five miles 

 from the mouth of the river, was 12 feet in length and 8 in cir- 

 cumference at the largest part. When wounded it is said to have 

 made a noise like the " bellowing of a bull." 



Our specimen is a female, 8 feet 4 inches in length and 4 feet 

 in girth. In colour it is black on the back, gray and purplish 

 gray on the sides, and white with tinges of dusky white beneath. 

 Forehead convex ; jaws produced, subrostral, lower a little longer 



22 22 



than the upper. Teeth conical, — : -^. 



In taking a general view of the creature I noticed the follow- 

 ing proportions, viz. the dorsal fin appears to occupy the middle 

 region between the point of the jaw and tip of the caudal fin : 

 then drawing an imaginary line perpendicularly down from the 

 anterior base of the dorsal fin, the pectoral fins appear to occupy 

 the middle region between this line and the point of the jaw ; 

 whilst the cloaca occupies the middle region between the same 

 line and the base of the caudal fin. 



There is a degree of beauty and elegance about the creature 

 with regard to its general colouring and form, the fins presenting 

 a series of ogee curves : the dorsal fin is ample and curves back- 

 ward ; the pectoral fins appear rather small in proportion to the 

 size of the animal ; the caudal fin, being the principal instrument 

 of propulsion, is ample. The compressed character of the caudal 

 extremity of the body is carried from the base along the middle 

 region of the depressed fin so as to produce a ridge both above 

 and below it, giving that part a peculiarly elegant form, and en- 

 suring the greatest amount of efi'ect in its vertical action upon 

 the medium in which the creature is swimming. 



The respiratory aperture is 1 foot 2 inches from the point of 

 the nose, and looking at the animal in profile appears to form 

 an isosceles triangle with the eye and point of nose, the short 

 side of which triangle is bounded by this aperture and the eye : 

 it is so completely closed by the valvular arrangement as to ap- 

 pear like a curved crescentic line with the ends or horns dij'cctcd 

 forwards. The extremities of this aperture are one inch and three- 



