DOLPHINS AND PORPOISES. 55 



time, an Order in Council of the 24th April, 1911, extending it 

 for a further period of five years. The regulation was aimed 

 solely at the protection of " Pelorus Jack," the only individual 

 marine animal, I believe, which has t thus secured Government 

 protection. 



The Maoris believe that Kaikai-a-waro, as they call " Pelorus 

 Jack," has been known to their race for some three centuries, and 

 a considerable body of legend has grown up about him. One 

 European skipper, Captain Turner, of Nelson, met with a big 

 white "fish" in Pelorus Sound nearly fifty years ago, and he 

 thinks this is the same as the whale which afterwards took up its 

 station towards the French Pass. 



It was stated in 1911 that the carcase of " Pelorus Jack," 

 bitten by sharks, had been washed up on D'Urville Island. It 

 was found, however, that the animal discovered there was a 

 bottle-nosed whale. Meanwhile it is a fact that the " pilot-whale " 

 has not been seen for some years, and whether he has " passed 

 out " or merely shifted his quarters no one knows. 



The list of New Zealand whales is not yet exhausted. Mention 

 has just been made of the Bottle-nose (Prodelphinus obscurus), 

 which is not unfrequently met with. A more interesting animal 

 is the Killer Whale (Orca gladiator), often spoken of as the 

 " grampus," a word which itself is a contraction of the French 

 grand poisson, or big fish. The killer is marked with contrasting 

 bands of white or yellow upon a black body-colour. It is a fairly 

 large species, growing to a length of 30 ft. It is a powerful and 

 rapacious whale, and it is stated that as many as thirteen porpoises 

 and fourteen seals were taken from the stomach of one of them. 

 This is a large order, and perhaps the culprit died of a surfeit ; 

 if not, it certainly deserved to. 



The killers sometimes combine to attack larger whales, and in 

 Bullen's interesting book he repeats an account of a combat which 

 he witnessed between a bull cachalot and such a combination of 

 enemies. Two hungry killers and a 16 ft. swordfish joined forces 

 to attack the big whale. The swordfish launched himself at the 

 monster, but the latter turned in time to receive the shock on the 

 head, and the blow glanced off it, the fish rolling helplessly over 

 the top of the whale. With a sudden rapid movement the latter 

 turned, grasped the aggressor with his immense jaws and crunched 



