FAMILY DELPHINID^. 133 



Color. Shining, bluish black above. A narrow space extending from the throat to the 

 vent, of a light grey color. 

 Length twenty feet. 



The dimensions here given, were from an adult of the largest size. This cetaceous animal, 

 so remarkable for its loud cries when excited, has received in our country various popular 

 names. It is called Black Whale-fish, Howling Whale, Social Whale, and Bottle-head. It 

 resembles the Grampus in size, and is probably often confounded with it. It appears to have 

 been first noticed by Egede in his History of Greenland, and subsequently figured by Duha- 

 mel (Hist. Poiss. pi. ix. fig. 5). They are often seen in large herds, which, from some cause 

 as yet unexplained, are frequently stranded, and perish on the coast. The books are full of 

 instances of such occurrences on the shores of Europe, more particularly in the high northern 

 latitudes. At Wellfleet, near Cape Cod, in 1822, a herd of one hundred of these social 

 whales, varying in length from ten to fifteen feet, were stranded and captured. In the cotem- 

 porary newspaper notices, it was stated that they had been formerly numerous on that coast, 

 but had not appeared there for many years. In September, 1823, a single one was taken in 

 Salem harbor, and described by Dr. Harlan as Delphinus intermedius. In October, 1832, 

 another individual came ashore at Fairfield beach, Connecticut, and was described by Mr. 

 Sampson. In 1834, I received an account of the capture of two others on the east end of 

 Long Island. The details furnished on that occasion enabled me to refer them with exactness 

 to this species. 



GENUS PHOCiENA. Cuvier. 



Head rounded, not much elevated. Mouth terminal. Snout short and rounded. Teeth 

 varying in number. Dorsal eminence as in the preceding. Usually of a small size. Gre- 

 garious. Piscivorous. 



THE COMMON PORPOISE. 



Phoc£na communis. 



Detphiimt phocasna. LiNNEUS. Gmelin. 

 Porpesie. Pennant, Brit. Zool. Vol. 3, p. 93. 

 D.phocama. Desmarest, Mammalogie, p. 516. 

 Sea Same. GoDHAN, Am. Nat. Hist. VoL 3, p. 69. 



Characteristics. Under jaw slightly longest. Twenty to twenty-five teeth on each side in 

 both jaws, straight, compressed, and rounded at the tips. Length 4 to 5 

 feet. 



Description. Body elongated, tapering towards the tail. Skin smooth. Snout short and 

 obtuse. Eyes small, and placed behind the angle of the mouth. Auditory hole very small. 

 Spiracle single, on the top of the head over the eyes, crescent-shaped, with its concavity 



