DOLPHINS. 241 



of the species at least, they are much more frequent 

 and constant inhabitants of the British shores. 



The general name which naturalists give to these 

 animals, is delphini, or dolphins ; and the principal 

 species are, the common dolphin, the ca'ing whale, the 

 grampus, and the porpesse, with the bottle-head, and 

 the beluga or white dolphin, which are more rarely met 

 with in the British seas. All the species are voracious, 

 and remarkable for the depredations that they commit 

 upon various fish ; and many of them are gregarious, 

 or found in herds. 



The DOLPHIN (delphinus delphis) is about as unlike 

 the pictures that are usually made of it as can well be 

 imagined. Tt is usually about nine or ten feet long, 

 rarely more than twelve. Its body is straight, blackish 

 on the upper part, and white below. The nose is long, 

 narrow, and pointed, on which account the animal 

 sometimes gets the name of the " sea-goose." Its 

 favourite haunts are rather in warmer latitudes ; but it 

 is occasionally found in the British seas. The ordi- 

 nary prey is small fishes, but it can eat any garbage. 

 In former times, it was much esteemed as food, perhaps 

 on account of the difficulty of getting it, more than any 

 thing else : at present it is not in much request. The 

 stories that are told about dolphins changing their 

 colours when they are dying, and after they are dead, 

 do not appear to be very well founded. The colour 

 of the fish is very apt to vary with the angle under 

 which it is seen, or at which the light falls upon it. 



The CA'ING WHALE (delphinus melas) was for a 

 considerable time confounded with the grampus. It 



Y 



