6 IXCIDEXTS OF THE VOYAGE. 



celebrated specimen, this incongruity is of little 

 moment, since that was evidently a young one. If 

 this was, indeed, the Havre Whale, the occurrence in 

 associated numbers of a species, hitherto known only 

 by a solitary specimen, possesses an interest which will 

 be readily appreciated by naturalists ; if, on the 

 other hand, it was distinct, it is, perhaps, still more 

 interesting, as it proves the existence of a gregarious 

 Cetacean of large size in the Atlantic, which has 

 hitherto escaped the observation of zoologists. The 

 white hue of the flippers, isolated amidst the dark 

 colour of the upper body, would seem to favour the 

 latter conclusion. 



I may add here that when we were off the west 

 end of Porto Rico, I observed a shoal of Dolphins 

 playing at a short distance ; one of them in leaping 

 fell in a perpendicular position, the tail downward, 

 while the body was thrown into a double curve. I 

 was thus enabled to see that the belly was of a bright 

 rose-colour. Now this is the hue of the under parts 

 of the other Delphinorliynchus (Z). rostratiis), which 

 is about eight feet in length, and might well be mis- 

 taken, in the moment of leaping, for a true Deljjhinus. 

 The coincidence is a curious one : especially as this 

 species is nearly as rare as the former. 



I had prepared a surface-net for towing after the 

 ship in order to capture minute animals. It was 

 thus made : — The towing line, a stout rope, was at- 

 tached by a threefold bridle to a brass rod five feet 

 in length, one foot of which was bent up at a right 

 angle at each end. The three sides formed by this 

 wire kei)t open the mouth of the net, which was 



