PORPOISES AND DOLPHINS. 55 



the blackfish or, as it is often called, the pilot- whale, or ca'ing whale, is a frequent 

 although irregular visitant to the British coasts ; and it occasionally extends as far 

 north as Greenland. In the Mediterranean it appears to be rare. 



The blackfish is the most gregarious of all the Cetaceans, 

 assembling in herds which frequently comprise from two hundred to 

 three hundred individuals, and occasionally include as many as one thousand or 

 even two thousand. The members of a herd always blindly follow a leader, after 

 the manner of a flock of sheep, and from this strange habit the species derives its 

 names of pilot-whale and ca'ing ( = driving) whale. Curiously enough, if the 

 leader of a herd happen to run into shoal- water and become stranded, the other 

 members follow suit ; and in this way large numbers are often captured by the 

 inhabitants of Iceland and the Faroe, Orkney, and Shetland Islands. In disposition 

 this species is mild and gentle, and thus offers a marked contrast to the killer. 

 Its chief and favourite food is cuttle-fish, but it is said also to eat fish. The young, 

 of which there is generally but one at a birth, are said to be born in the late 

 summer, and suckled throughout the winter. 



Regarding their capture in the islands of the North Sea and 

 Atlantic, the late Prof. Bell writes that, on the appearance of a herd, 

 " the whole fishing squadron of the neighbourhood is put into requisition, each boat 

 being provided with a quantity of stones. The first object is to get to seaward of 

 the victims, then the boats are formed into a large semicircle, and the whole herd 

 is driven into some bay or creek. The stones are thrown to splash and frighten 

 the whales if they try to break back ; and in Faroe ropes are stretched from boat 

 to boat, with wisps of straw hung at intervals. Should one whale break through the 

 line all is lost, as the rest will follow it in spite of every exertion of the fishermen. 

 But if they are forced into shallow water, they plunge wildly on till they strand them- 

 selves, and then the whole population rush upon them, armed with harpoons, spears, 

 hatchets, picks, spades, any weapon that comes to hand, and the cries and dying 

 struggles of the poor animals, the shouts of the men, the clash of the weapons, and 

 the bloody and troubled sea combine to form an extremely exciting, if somewhat 

 revolting scene." It is stated that in this manner no less than 1110 blackfish 

 were captured in Iceland in the winter of 1809-10, while upwards of 2080 

 were taken in Faroe within a period of six weeks during the year 1845. 



Risso's DOLPHIN. 

 Genus Grampus. 



Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) is a rare and rather large species, which 

 appears to be the only representative of its genus, and is easily recognised by the 

 peculiar striped character of the skin ; the arrangement of the stripes and the 

 general coloration presenting a large amount of individual variation. It is dis- 

 tinguished from all other dolphins, except the female narwhal, by the total absence 

 of teeth in the upper jaw ; while in the lower jaw there are only from three to 

 seven small teeth on each side, and these confined to the anterior region of the jaw. 

 In general external characteristics Risso's dolphin approaches very closely to the 



