OE ANIMALS WITH BLOOD. 251 



Aristotle says that the blowhole of DelpJiis is ^'a tow vutou, 

 or through its back.* It is practically certain that he is 

 referring to the dolphin, although its blowhole is as nearly 

 as possible on the same transverse periphery as its eyes. 

 In other passages, he states correctly that its blowhole is in 

 front of its brain, t 



According to Aristotle, the dolphin brings forth one 

 young one, or sometimes two, always in the summer season, 

 the period of gestation being ten months ; he also says that 

 dolphins have been known to live from twenty-five to thirty 

 years, fishermen having ascertained this by cutting the dol- 

 phins' tails and then allowing them to escape. I 



These are interesting statements. About the ages of 

 dolphins I have no information. With respect to its breed- 

 ing habits, it is well known that the common dolphin brings 

 forth one young one at a birth. I cannot find a clear state- 

 ment about the period of gestation of the common dolphin, 

 but Millais states, on the authority of Nansen and Guldberg, 

 that the period for the white-sided dolphin is ten months, 

 and that the young one is born before or about midsummer. § 



It is difficult to identify Aristotle's Phalaina, for he does 

 not give any information about its size or geographical 

 distribution, and, apart from information which shows that 

 it is a cetacean, merely states that its blowhole is in its 

 forehead, and that it usually brings forth two young ones, 

 but sometimes only one.li 



It might seem to be reasonable to assume that Aristotle's 

 Phalaina is a whale, such as Balceiioptera muscidus, the 

 common or Mediterranean rorqual, which often brings 

 forth two young ones at a birth. It is more probable, 

 however, that the Phalaina is one of the larger dolphins, 

 e.g., the killer, Eisso's grampus, or the blackfish, for the 

 rorqual is a whalebone whale, and Aristotle seems to use 

 another name, Mystiketos, for a whale of this kind. In the 

 only passage in which he refers to Mystiketos, he states 

 clearly that it has no teeth in its mouth, but hairs like 

 boars' bristles. IT 



The Phalainai graphically described by Arrian and 

 Strabo, and the BallcBnce of Pliny, were undoubtedly large 



- H. A. i. c. 4, s. 1. 



f P. A. iv. c. 13, 697a. ; De Respir. c. 12, 4766. 



I H. A. vi. c. 11, ss. 1 and 2. 



§ Mammals of Qreat Britain, Sc, vol. iii. 1906, p 339. 



I; E. A. i. c. 4, s. 1, vi. c. 11, s. 1. H Ibid. iii. c. 10, s. 13. 



