452 CLASS MAMMALIA. 



until it can do without her cares. Their young grow rapidly ; 

 in ten years they attain their utmost length. 



Not only are the female dolphins united by the bonds of 

 a tender and durable affection to their young, but the male 

 also attaches himself for life to his female companion, and 

 becomes her most zealous guardian and protector. It is 

 even said, that the sentiments of mutual affection in these 

 animals for each other, extend to all the individuals of the 

 species. Accordingly they are frequently seen assembled in 

 numerous troops, in regular phalanx, formed, as it were, 

 into order of battle. They are commanded and directed by 

 a chief, chosen from among those who have displayed the 

 greatest vigour and intrepidity in the combat. 



Some authors, more especially the ancients, have not only 

 celebrated the mutual friendship subsisting among the 

 Dolphins themselves, but have also asserted that they have 

 a lively and natural affection towards the human species, 

 with which they are easily led to familiarize. They have 

 recounted many marvellous stories on this subject, which 

 would be rather out of place in a sober treatise on Zoology. 

 All that is known on this point for certainty is, that when 

 these animals perceive a ship at sea, they rush in a crowd 

 before it, surround it, and express their confidence by rapid, 

 varied, and repeated evolutions, sometimes bounding, leap- 

 ing, and manoeuvring in all manner of ways, sometimes 

 performing complicated circumvolutions, and exhibiting a 

 degree of grace, agility, dexterity, and strength, which is 

 perfectly astonishing. 



We must not, however, be deceived by such external 

 show of affection. These animals represented as susceptible 

 of so much attachment to man, are thoroughly carnivorous, 

 and if they follow the track of vessels, it is perhaps with 

 no other view than the hopes of preying on something that 

 may fall from them. 



The Dolphins subsist indiscriminately on all sorts of 



