THE OCEAN MAMMALS 357 



The grampus, thirty feet long, and the porpoises, or 

 herring hogs (eight to ten feet long), are allowed to pursue 

 their way untroubled by the fishermen. Both animals 

 have large teeth, and consume large quantities of fish. The 

 teeth interlock so that their slippery, scaly prey cannot 

 escape. The fish often run into nets and shallows to escape 

 them. Porpoise and grampus are not only hard to catch, 

 but are of very little value when taken. Like all the larger 

 whales, they are mammals, and suckle their young swimming 

 along on their side. The nipple is retractile, and may be 

 drawn back into a slit or fold in the breast, so that it is 

 scarcely visible as the animal lies on deck. Having shot 

 a suckling mother on one occasion, we tried the milk. It 

 was very rich, and had a somewhat fishy taste. Porpoise 

 meat is exceedingly good for eating. 



The sperm whale, or cachalot, is not now a denizen of our 

 coast, where, however, he makes occasional visits. In 

 1892 a monster, some eighty feet long, ran into the rocks 

 near Battle Harbour, and, I presume, finding them hard as 

 his own adamantine skull, got somewhat confused; for 

 he continued to battle with the rocks till he stranded and 

 perished. He was towed into the harbour and flensed in 

 an amateur way. The head was one-third as long as his 

 body. The head contained two large tanks, called the case, 

 and out of this the oil was pumped. One hundred and forty 

 gallons were taken. The oil helps to float the huge jaw- 

 bones. The lower jaw had fifty large, conical teeth of 

 solid ivory, several inches apart. The teeth of the cachalot 

 were at one time almost venerated in Fiji and other sea 

 islands, and disastrous wars and many murders have re- 

 sulted from disputes as to their possession. The food of 



