BLACK FISH. 289 



THE BLACK-FISH. GENUS GLOBICEPIIALUS. 

 Globicephahi) Lesson, N. Tabl. Regne Animal Mamm. p. 200 

 (1840). 



General form of skull somewhat as in Orca> but the fore part 

 of the head high and rounded, owing to the pre ence of a mass 

 of blubber; teeth, small, conical, curved, and sharp, forming 

 from eight to twelve pairs, which are confined to the anterior 

 half of the jaws, in old age blunt, and sometimes wanting ; 

 flippers very long and narrow ; back-fin short and triangular 

 the height being much less than the basal length. 



As in the case of Orca, it is very doubtful whether there is 

 more than a single ex'sting representative of this genus. 



THE PILOT-WHALE, OR BLACK-FISH. GLOBICEPHALUS 

 MEL AS. 



Delphinus melas, Traill, Nicholson's Journal, vol. xxii. p. 81 



(1809). 

 Delphinus globiceps, Cuvier, Ann. Mus. vol. xix. p. 14 



(1812). 



Phoctzna tne/as, Bell, British Quadrupeds, p. 483 (1837). 

 Globicephala me/as, Lesson, N. Tabl. Regne Animal Mamm. 



p. 200 (1840). 

 Globiocephalus swineval, Gray, Zool. Voy. Erebus and Terror, 



p. 32 (1846) ; Gray, Cat. Seals and Whales, Brit. Mus. p. 



314(1866). 

 Globicephalus we/as, Bell, British Quadrupeds, 2nd ed. p. 453 



(1874); Southwell, British Seals and Whales, p. 118 



(1881); Flower, List Cetacea Brit. Mus. p. 19 (1885). 

 Characters. General colour black, with a whitish stripe along 

 the middle of the under-parts, expanding on the throat into a 

 heart-shaped patch. Length of adult from 1 6 to 20 feet. 



Distribution. Typically occurring in the North Atlantic, it is 

 probable that the Pilot-Whale has a nearly world- wide dis- 



5 V 



