242 FAMILY DELPHINIDJE; CAAING WHALE, NARWHAL, ETC. 



the fishermen of the neighbourhood endeavour to close in upon 

 them from without, and drive them towards the beach ; and no 

 sooner is one individual driven on shore, than the rest of the herd 

 rush with a blind impetuosity towards the spot, and throw 

 themselves forwards with such violence, that they are stranded 

 on the beach, and become an easy prey to their pursuers. There 

 is reason to believe, that the cries of distress uttered by the first 

 victims attract the others to their rescue; and that their de- 

 struction is thus due to their strong attachment to each other. 

 It is thought by others, however, that they are led towards the 

 shore by their tendency to follow their leaders with a blind con- 

 fidence. The common name of this species, " Caaing," is under- 

 stood to mean " driving" in Zetland. The Beluga, or White 

 Whale, an allied genus, is remarkable for the clear white hue of 

 its skin, which is slightly tinged with yellowish or rose colour. 

 It rarely visits our own coasts ; but is often seen in the northern 

 regions, sporting, feeding, and migrating, in herds of moderate 

 numbers. Its teeth are fewer in number than are those of most 

 other Delphinidae ; and of the few which it possesses, the greater 

 number fall out before it attains an advanced age. 



212. There are some aberrant genera of this family, in which 

 the number of teeth is small ; or in which they are even entirely 

 absent from one of the jaws. This is the case with the Hype- 

 roodon, or Bottle-head Whale, in which there are only two teeth, 

 and these situated in the lower jaw. It is a large animal, usually 

 more than twenty feet long ; it rarely visits our coasts and 

 little is known of it.* A much more remarkable animal is the 

 Monodon, or Narwhal, commonly known as the Sea Unicorn ; 

 which derives its name from its obvious peculiarity, the presence 

 (in the Male) of a single tooth of great length, projecting from 

 the front of the upper jaw. The usual length of this extraor- 

 dinary appendage is about six feet ; but it sometimes reaches 

 nine or even^ten feet. It is quite straight, and tapers gradually 

 from its base to its point ; but it has a spiral twist from left to 

 right. It would be a strange anomaly if such a weapon were 



* A specimen -was taken a few years since in the Severn, -whose length was 

 twenty-two feet ; its skeleton is now in the Museum of the Bristol Institution. 



