THE DOLPHm. 77 



unlike the beak of fome birds ; and hence the Trench 

 call it the fea-goofe *. Its teeth are forty-two in number, 

 placed in both jaws, and bended a little towards the 

 mouth. They are placed at fuch a diitance, that each 

 tooth enters into a fpace between two in the oppolite 

 jaw. 



The fkin of thefe fifties is fmooth, of a duflcy colour 

 on the back and fides ; while the belly is white. The 

 form of the tail is femilunar ; that of the back fin, high, 

 triangular, and placed nearer to the tail than the head 4- 



=The Porpefc 1. 



The fiiliermen do not diflinguifh this fifh from the dol- 

 phin, which it nearly refembles : Both are known by the 

 name of porpeffe among the EnglipJ failors ; and the 

 French with indifcrimation call them marfouim. I'he 

 latter word is derived from the German^ and the iormer 

 from the Italia?: language : the import of both is the 

 the fame, and exprelTes the refemblance which this iifh. 

 bears to a hog §. It is probably from the particular fliape 

 of the nofe, that the animal has obtained this name 

 fo generally among the modern nations of Europe. The 

 fncut projedLS confiderably, though not fo long as that of 



the 



* BritilTi Zoology, L'oie de la mere. 

 ■)■ Idem, Clafs iv. Gen. iii, 



I Le Marfouin. Briffon. Delphlnus Phorcaina, Lin. Syft. 

 § Mecrfchwain denotes a fea-fwine, and Porcopefce may be tranflatei 

 liog-fiflt. 



