202 



THIRD SUBDIVISION. 



PREVIOUS to the present century, the whole of the 

 remaining ordinary Cetacea, which go to form the 

 third subdivision, were, with those of the subdivision 

 we have just left, classed by naturalists under the 

 general term Ddphinuis, or Dolphins. Whenever, 

 in fact, one of the Cetacea was discovered whose 

 head bore the usual proportion to the body, and 

 whose jaws were supplied with teeth, it was ranked 

 as a dolphin. When the number of known species 

 was but small, and the characters but ill denned, 

 this arrangement was perhaps sufficient ; but now- 

 a-days, when their number is greatly increased, 

 and when those who know the subject best declare 

 that a small proportion only of those which really 

 exist have hitherto been described, it becomes 

 necessary to multiply generic divisions; and the 

 term dolphin must be restricted to an individual, 

 though very numerous genus. Lacepede led the 

 way in this division, by the introduction of his Del- 

 phinaptera, which was immediately adopted by 

 Cuvier, Scorseby, &c. Cuvier, again, separated the 

 Porpoises from the dolphins; and Blainville in- 

 creased the number of genera by adopting the Oxyp- 

 tera (Cetee with two dorsal fins) of Rafinesque, and 

 introducing the Delphinorhyncus. Lesson has still 

 further added to this list. To us it appears that the 

 present state of the science requires no fewer than 

 the following divisions, which in this place we shall 

 do no more than enumerate. The first section 



