3 2 THE MA:MMALIA of DORSETSHIRE. 



To the Order RUMINANTIA belong the most useful of our 

 domestic animals, the horse, the cow, and the sheep ; and 

 Dorset can boast of a very fine breed of horned sheep with 

 M'hite faces. The lambs are pretty little creatures, and are 

 generally born before Christmas, months before those of the 

 Southdowns — a breed also extensively kept in the county. The 

 Portlands are a small edition of the Dorsets, and are now 

 getting scarce. Portland mutton has a very high reputation. 

 The old-fashioned dark grisly breed of Dorset cows is rapidly 

 dying out. The cows mainly kept in the county now appear to 

 be crosses between the Devon, Hereford, and Shorthorn. 



Order CETACEA. 



Family DELPHINID/E. 



Genus PHOCMNA. 



Porpoise, Phoccena communis. 



Often seen in Weymouth Bay and off other parts of the coast 

 disporting themselves merrily in the briny ocean. 



Genus DELPHINUS. 



Dolphin, Delphinus delphis. 



This is occasionally seen off the coast. One was captured in 

 Weymouth Bay some years ago. 



Genus ORCA. 



Grampus or Killer, Orca gladiator. 



A skeleton from Weymouth Bay is in the Natural History 

 Museum at South Kensington. 



Family BAL.F:N0PTERID;E. 



Genus BAL.ENOPTERA. 



Rudol phi's : Rorqual, Bahvnoptcra laticeps. 

 In February, 1840, a whale was stranded at Charmouth, and 

 was described by INIr. Yarrcll in the " Proceedings of the 



