BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN. 445 



In former days the flesh of the Dolphin was thought to be a very great luxury, so great, 

 indeed, that a Dolphin was considered as a noble present to be made to the Duke of Norfolk 

 by Dr. Cains, the well-known founder of the college bearing his name. As the Dolphin, in 

 common with the porpoise and all the cetaceans, was considered as belonging to the fishes, 

 its flesh was a permitted diet upon maigre days, when all flesh meat was rigidly forbidden by 

 ecclesiastic prohibition, and was served to table with a sauce composed of bread-crumbs, vine- 

 gar, and sugar. Now-a-days, however, the flesh of the Dolphin has fallen entirely into 

 disrepute as an article of diet, and is not to be restored to its former station even by the force 

 of prelatical discipline. 



It is a lively and playful animal, and being remarkably active in its native element, is 

 fond of gambolling among the waves, and engaging in various sports with its companions. 

 Being of a very gregarious nature, it is seldom seen alone, but prefers to associate in little 

 flocks or herds, and is in the habit of accompanying ships for considerable distances, hovering 

 about the vessel and executing various strange manoeuvres. Sometimes it falls a victim to its 

 curiosity, and when paying too close a visit to the vessel is struck with the "grains," or 

 barbed trident, which is kept on board in readiness for such an occasion, and is hauled strug- 

 gling on deck, where it is soon deprived of life. 



The formation of the Dolphin 1 s brain is of such a nature that it indicates great intelligence 

 on the part of its possessor, and goes far towards confirming some of the current reports on 

 this subject. It is said that Dolphins have been tamed and taught to feed from the hand of 

 their instructor, beside performing sundry feats at his bidding. That the seals are eminently 

 capable of instruction is a well-known fact, and it is probable that the Dolphins may not be 

 less endowed with intellectual powers. 



From the peculiar shape of the snout and jaws, which are rather flattened and consider- 

 ably elongated, the animal has derived its French titles of "Bee d'Oie" and "Oie de Mer," 

 i.e. Goose-beak, or Sea-goose. The forehead is rather rounded, and descends suddenly towards 

 the base of the "beak." The "beak" itself is about six inches in length in a moderately 

 sized specimen, and is separated from the forehead by a small but distinct ridge. The Dol- 

 phin only produces a single young one at a time, and nurses her offspring with exceeding 

 tenderness and assiduity. 



The common Dolphin is found in the European seas, and in the Atlantic and the Medi- 

 terranean, and may possibly have a still wider range. There are Dolphins to be found near 

 the coasts of Africa and America, but whether they belong to the same species as the common 

 Dolphin is at present a mooted point. 



In the Bottle-nosed Dolphin there is not such an extraordinary array of teeth as in the 

 preceding animal, their maximum number being one hundred, and their average about eighty- 

 five. The average length of this animal is between seven and eight feet, although specimens 

 have been taken which measured between ten and eleven feet in length. 



The color of the Bottle-nosed Dolphin is rather different from that of the common Dolphin. 

 Its back is not of the same jetty hue, but is deeply tinged with purple, its flanks are dusky, 

 and the under portions are grayish-white, and do not glisten with the pure silvery-white of the 

 ordinary Dolphin of our coasts. 



Although it is a rare animal, it has more than once been captured. Two Bottle-nosed 

 Dolphins, a mother and her young one, were caught upon the sea-coast, where they had been 

 seen for several days haunting the neighborhood. The first of these specimens was captured 

 when it had ascended the river about five miles, and was so powerful and active that it did not 

 resign its life until it had fought for a space of four hours against eight men armed with spears 

 and guns, and assisted by dogs. AVhile struggling with its foes it bellowed loudly, making a 

 sound like that of an enraged bull. This individual was more than eleven feet in length. 



In many instances the teeth of the Bottle-nosed Dolphin are extremely blunt, a circum- 

 stance which was once thought to be peculiar to the species. Mr. Bell, however, proves to the 

 contrary by the fact of possessing two skulls of Bottle-nosed Dolphins, in which the teeth are 

 of the usual length, and as sharp as in the ordinary Dolphin. When the teeth are thus worn 



