4 INCIDENTS OF THE VOYAGE. 



phins, all the evening ; and even long after nightfall 

 they were still in company, being plainly visible 

 by the light of the moon. During this long time, I 

 had many opportunities of observing them. They 

 frequently protruded their heads from the surface ; 

 and then, presently, the huge round back, with a 

 small dorsal far behind, was seen. In going along 

 beside the ship, one would occasionally turn on its 

 back, displaying the white belly, and in this position 

 swim a short distance. The muzzle was lengthened 

 into a snout, but, as well as I could judge from many 

 exposures, it tapered gradually without a furrow, 

 and resembled that of Delphinorhynchus. As nearly 

 as I could estimate from a position aloft, by com- 

 parison with the ship, their length was about thirty 

 feet, or perhaps not quite so much. The body was 

 elongated, black above, white beneath ; the swim- 

 ming paws appeared white, even on their upper 

 surface, but surrounded by dark colour on the body ; 

 — this is remarkable. The lips and extremity of the 

 muzzle appeared, when projected from the water, of 

 a flesh colour. They usually expired with a rushing 

 sound, the instant the blow-hole was exposed, but 

 did not, as far as I observed, spout. Once, however, 

 I noticed a little cloud of steam sailing away on the 

 wind, from the spot where one had just disappeared ; 

 it exactly resembled that appearance which succeeds 

 the spouting of the common Rorqual (which I have 

 seen many times), but as my eye did not catch the 

 animal itself, I cannot positively say that such was its 

 origin on this occasion. The evenings being cool 



