1868.] OF THE GREENLAND SEAS. 551 



this period. Through the kindness of Hr. Bolbroe, Colouibestyrer 

 of Egedesniinde, we obtained the skeleton of a Nisa, which had been 

 procured in this vicinity some years ago by his predecessor Hr. 

 Zimmer ; but I could see no difference in it, so far as it could be 

 examined in the roughly prepared state, from the one usually found 

 on the British coast. Whether the Phoccena tuber culif era. Gray*, 

 is different from the ordinary Porpoise, I am inclined to doubt. I 

 have examined several Porpoises caught on the British coast, and 

 have invariably found these tubercles on the upper edge of the dorsal 

 fin more or less developed. Independently of this, it is questionable 

 whether such variable characters (and we know that there are many 

 such characters in Cetacea which give no specific distinction) war- 

 rant the separation of Phoccena tuberculifera from P. communis. 

 The flesh of the Porpoise is far from contemptible as an article of 

 food, and is much relished by sailorsf. 



12. Beluga catodon (L.), Gray. 



Popular names. — White Whale (English whalers) ; Hvitjisk, 

 Hvidjisk (white fish) (Scandinavian seamen, and Danish colonists in 

 Greenland); Kelelluak (Greenlanders and Eskimo generally). 



Tliis is, beyond all comparison, so far as its importance to the 

 Greenlanders and Eskimo is concerned, the Whale of Greenland. 

 Like the Narwhal it is indigenous, but is only seen on the coast 

 of Danish Greenland during the winter months, leaving the coast 

 south of 72° N. lat. in June, and roaming about at the head of 

 Baffin's Bay and the western shores of Davis Strait during the 

 summer. In October it is seen to go west, not south, but in winter 

 can be seen, in company with the Narwhal, at the broken places 

 in the ice. Its range may be said to be the same as the Narwhal's, 

 and during the summer months corresponds with that of the Right 

 Whale, of which it is looked upon as the precursor. It, however, 

 wanders further south than the Narwhal, being found as a re- 

 gular denizen as far south as 63° N. lat., though on the opposite 

 coast it reaches much further south, being quite common in the 

 St. Lawrence river. The Greenlanders during the summer kill 

 great numbers of them, and preserve their oil, and dry their flesh 

 for winter use. Of this animal and the Narwhal, about 500 are 

 yearly caught ; but the majority of this number consists of the White 

 Whale. It feeds on Crustacea, fish, and Cephalopoda ; but in the 

 stomach is generally found some sand. The Greenlanders often jocu- 

 larly remark, in reference to this, that the Kelelluak takes in ballast. 



» Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, p. 320. 



+ The flesh of the Porpoise and Grampus was eaten in the fourteenth century 

 in Lent time as fish; and it is lamentable to think how much sin was committed 

 until they were discovered to be mammals. I have heard of the monks of a Car- 

 th\isian convent roasting an Otter under a similar zoologico-theological error. A 

 MS. in the British Museum (Harl. MSS. no. 279) contains a receipt for making 

 " puddynge of Porpoise ;" and we find it served at table as late as the time of 

 Henry VIII., and in Scotland even still later. In the accounts of Holyrood Palace 

 we find frequent entries of monies paid for " Porpess " for the royal table. 



