THE PORPESSE. 249 



the European languages in which they have any name 

 at all. 



In former times, the flesh of the porpesse was 

 esteemed a great delicacy. It appeared at the tables 

 of nobles ; and was accounted by kings a donation 

 worthy of being granted to favourite monasteries : 

 Malcolm IV. of Scotland granted it to the Abbey of 

 Dumfermline. In modern times it is not eaten, though 

 it is far from being unpalatable. The old people had 

 a peculiar sauce for it, made of crumbs of bread, vine- 

 gar, and sugar. The animal is still valuable for its oil, 

 which is good in quality, and rather abundant in quan- 

 tity ; but at many of the fishing villages, the kreng or 

 carcass is left rather offensively upon the beach. Even 

 the skin of the porpesse, which is very compact, and 

 capable of being applied to many useful purposes, is 

 neglected in this country ; but in America the poor 

 people use it as an article of clothing ; and it is also 

 dressed and tanned as a covering for coaches and trunks, 

 for which purposes it is very well adapted, being firm, 

 and impervious to water. 



The porpesse is rather a timid animal, and is easily 

 alarmed by any thing moving in the water, on which 

 account it is sometimes caught by an enclosure made of 

 twigs. These are fixed on a bank in the tideway, so 

 that they shall be covered at high water, but appear as 

 the tide ebbs. Shoals of porpesses pass over them in 

 the former state, in eager pursuit of the small fishes 

 which come near the shore with the tide. But as they 

 continue their fishing till the water has subsided, the 

 twigs appear in a state of motion, and the porpesses, 



