THE OCEAN MAMMALS 357 
The grampus, thirty feet long, and the porpoises, or 
herring hogs (eight to ten feet long), are allowed to pursue 
their way untroubled by the fishermen. Both animals 
have large teeth, and consume large quantities of fish. The 
teeth interlock so that their slippery, scaly prey cannot 
escape. The fish often run into nets and shallows to escape 
them. Porpoise and grampus are not only hard to catch, 
but are of very little value when taken. Like all the larger 
whales, they are mammals, and suckle their young swimming 
along on their side. The nipple is retractile, and may be 
drawn back into a slit or fold in the breast, so that it is 
scarcely visible as the animal lies on deck. Having shot 
a suckling mother on one occasion, we tried the milk. It 
was very rich, and had a somewhat fishy taste. Porpoise 
meat is exceedingly good for eating. 
The sperm whale, or cachalot,is not now a denizen of our 
coast, where, however, he makes occasional visits. In 
1892 a monster, some eighty feet long, ran into the rocks 
near Battle Harbour, and, I presume, finding them hard as 
his own adamantine skull, got somewhat confused; for 
he continued to battle with the rocks till he stranded and 
perished. He was towed into the harbour and flensed in 
an amateur way. The head was one-third as long as his 
body. The head contained two large tanks, called the case, 
and out of this the oil was pumped. One hundred and forty 
gallons were taken. The oil helps to float the huge jaw- 
bones. The lower jaw had fifty large, conical teeth of 
solid ivory, several inches apart. The teeth of the cachalot 
were at one time almost venerated in Fiji and other sea 
islands, and disastrous wars and many murders have re- 
sulted from disputes as to their possession. The food of 
