|30putar Qtcttonarj) of gmmatetr Jlaturr. 189 



generally transversely banded. The mollus- 

 cous animal contained in it has a large head 

 with short proboscis, and two tentacula with 

 eyes in the middle. There are several spe- 

 cies, most of which may be seen in the fine 

 collection at the British Museum. The fore- 

 going figure of the Partridge Shell (Dolium 

 perdix) will give a very good general idea 

 of the form of this genus. 



DOLPHIN.. (Delphinus delphis.) This 

 cetaceous animal bears a great resemblance 

 to the Porpoise, but has a much longer and 

 sharper snout, and the body is of a more 

 slender shape. It often grows to the length 

 of eight or ten feet ; the colour 011 the back 

 and sides is dusky, and the belly whitish ; 

 the teeth are very numerous, sharp pointed, 

 and slightly bending forwards ; and they 

 are placed so close together, that when the 

 mouth is shut the jaws lock into each other. 

 The Dolphin is found in the Mediterranean 

 and Indian seas, and seems to be generally 

 confounded by navigators with the Porpoise, 

 having the general manners and appearance 

 of that animal. It swims very swiftly, and 

 preys on various kinds offish ; and it some- 

 times happens that either from its impetu- 

 osity in the pursuit of prey, or the calls of 

 hunger, it is urged beyond the limits of 

 safety ; and the fishermen on the Cornish 

 coasts, who spread their extensive nets for 

 pilchards, sometimes become possessed of a 

 very unwelcome prize. 



By ancient writers the Dolphin was cele- 

 brated for its supposed affection for the hu- 

 man race, and its appearance was regarded 

 as a favourable omen. Numerous, indeed, 

 are the fables of antiquity in this respect, 

 which could have no better foundation than 

 poetic fiction : its figure is far from preju- 

 dicing us in its favour ; and its extreme 

 rapacity tends still less to endear it to us. 



(DE^PHINOS DKLPHIS.) 



The prejudices of the moderns are of a con- 

 trary character ; for the appearance both of 

 this species and the porpoise at sea, is gene- 

 rally considered as one of the preludes of an 

 approaching storm. Dolphins inhabit every 

 sea, from the equator to the poles, enduring 

 equally well the extremes of heat and cold. 

 The Dolphin, respiring by lungs, and not 

 in the manner of fishes, is compelled to rise 

 to the surface to breathe, throwing out the 

 water from the blow-hole, or aperture in the 

 head, like a cloud of steam. This hole is of 

 a semilunar form, with a kind of valvular 

 apparatus, and opens nearly over the eyes. 

 The structure of the ear renders the sense of 

 hearing very acute, and the animal is ob- 

 served to be attracted by regular or harmoni- 

 ous sounds. Compactness and strength are 

 the characteristics of the genus, and the mus- 



cular powers of the tail are proverbial. The 

 Dolphin is said to be long-lived, and, like the 

 Whale, seldom brings forth more than one 

 yonng one at a time, which the parent 

 suckles and watches with great care and 

 anxiety. 



It is, perhaps, almost unnecessary to cau- 

 tion the reader not to confound the cetaceous 

 species we have been describing, with the 1 

 fish commonly known as the Dolphin at the 

 present day, and hereunder described. 



DOLPHIN. (Coryphcenahfppuris). This 

 Acanthopterygiousfish has a flat and round- 

 ish snout, and the body tapers from the head 

 to the tail ; but its principal beauty consists 

 in the brilliancy of its colours. The back is 



spangled with bright bluish-green spots ; the 

 tail and fins are of a gold colour ; and whether 

 viewed alive in its native element, or before 

 it is quite dead, nothing can surpass its lus- 

 tre. It is about five or six feet long, and 

 nearly as thick as the salmon. A remark- 

 able fin runs from the head, along the back, 

 to the root of the tail, which in the middle 

 is seven inches broad, and consists of a kind 

 of coriaceous membrane with soft spines ; 

 opposite to which there is another fin, not 

 more than an inch broad, and extending 

 from the vent to the tail. The tail, which 

 is upwards of two feet and a half long, is 

 divided into two large horns ; and the scales 

 are so very minute as to be hardly percepti- 

 ble. This fish swims with such amazing 

 velocity, as frequently to keep pace with a 

 swift sailing ship for a very considerable 

 time. They abound within the tropics, and 

 are found in all temperate latitudes. In 

 the neighbourhood of the equator, they 

 commit great havoc in the immense shoals 

 of flying-fish which inhabit those regions, 

 and wliich constitute the principal food of 

 the Coryphcena. It is remarkable that, in 

 swallowing their prey, the position of the 

 captured fish is reversed, and it passes down 

 the throat head foremost ; by which ma- 

 noeuvre the fins are prevented from impeding 

 the passage. 



DON AX. A genus of bivalve shells, the 

 form of which is inequilateral and wedge- 

 shaped. It is found in all parts of the world 

 buried in the sand of the sea-shore. Many 

 of the species are beautiful ; but only two, 

 it is said, are found on the British coasts ; 

 one called the Yellow Donax, the other the 

 Purple. 



DORIPPE. A genus of brachyurous De- 

 capod Crustaceans (comprehended under the 

 general term Cancer by Linnaeus), found on 

 the sea-coasts of warm climates, where the 

 water is deep; the Mediterranean and Adri- 

 atic seas being among the localities given. 



