CHAPTER XXI 



DOLPHINS, PORPOISES, AND 

 MANATEES 



The dolphin Misconceptions about it Dolphin-catching among the 

 Faroe islanders Fresh-water dolphins : the Inia and the Soosoo 

 The grampus Porpoises Fishermen's hatred of them The nar- 

 whal Its tusk An Iceland narwhal-hunt The Greenlanders' 

 method The Caaing whale and the beluga Trapping and seining 

 belugas The dugong and the manatee A manatee-hunt. 



THE cetacean family includes many water monsters 

 that, though scarcely classifiable under the head 

 of whales, are hunted or " fished " for in much the 

 same manner, and generally for similar reasons ; such are 

 the dolphin, the porpoise, and the like. These have in 

 common with the whale a fish-like form and a horizontal 

 tail, and like them belong to the mammalia. Let us take 

 the dolphin first. 



One very interesting point in connection with this 

 animal is that in appearance it is very unlike the popular 

 conception of it ; and for this there is a good reason. 

 Classical mythology practically raised it to an object of 

 worship. Neptune, said the Greeks, turned himself into 

 a dolphin on a certain occasion ; so did Apollo ; there- 

 fore temples that were dedicated to either deity were 



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