546 



BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN. 



As the Dolphin, in common with the porpoise and all the cetaceans, was considered as 

 belonging to the fishes, the flesh was a permitted diet upon maigre days, when all flesh 

 meat was rigidly forbidden by ecclesiastic prohibition, and was served to table with a 

 sauce composed of bread-crumbs, vinegar, and sugar. Nowadays, however, the flesh of 

 the Dolphin has fallen entirely into disrepute as an article of diet, and is not to be re- 

 stored to its former station even by the force of prelatical discipline. 



It is a lively and playful animal, and being remarkably active in its native element, 

 is fond of gambolling among the waves, and engaging in various sports with its com- 

 panions. Being of a very gregarious nature, it is seldom seen alone, but prefers to 

 associate in little flocks or herds, and is in the habit of accompanying ships for con- 

 siderable distances, hovering about the vessel and executing various strange manoeuvres. 

 Sometimes it falls a victim to its curiosity, and when paying too close a visit to the vessel 

 is struck with the " grains," or barbed trident, which is kept on board in readiness for 

 such an occasion, and is hauled struggling on deck, where it is soon deprived of life. 



The formation of the Dolphin's brain is of such a nature that it indicates great 

 intelligence on the part of its possessor, and goes far towards confirming some of the 

 current reports on this subject. It is said that Dolphins have beem tamed and taught 

 to feed from the hand of their instructor, besides performing sundry feats at his bidding. 

 That the seals are eminently capable of instruction is a well-known fact, and it is probable 

 that the Dolphins may not be less endowed with intellectual powers. 



From the peculiar shape of the snout and jaws, which are rather flattened and 

 considerably elongated, the animal has derived its French titles of " Bee d'Oie " and " Oie 

 de Mer," /. e. Goose-beak, or Sea-goose. The forehead is rather rounded, and descends 

 suddenly towards the base of the " beak." The " beak " itself is about six inches in 

 length in a moderately sized specimen, and is separated from the forehead by a small 

 but distinct ridge. The Dolphin only produces a single young one at a time, and 

 nurses her offspring with exceeding tenderness and assiduity. 



The common Dolphin is found in the European seas, and in the Atlantic and the 

 Mediterranean, and may possibly have a still wider range. There are Dolphins to be 

 found near the coasts of Africa and America, but whether they belong to the same species 

 as the common Dolphin is at present a mooted point. 



BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN. -Delphlaus Tursto. 



IN the BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN there is not such an extraordinary array of teeth as in 

 the preceding animal, their maximum number being one hundred, and their average about 

 eighty-five. The average length of this animal is between seven and eight feet, although 

 specimens have been taken which measured between ten and eleven feet in length. 



