Bati—lLdentification of the Animals and Plants of India. 315 
8. DotpHin (AcAdis). 
Platanista indi., Blyth. Delphinus (Sp. ?) 
ffilian® tells us that the ‘‘ dolphins of India are reported to be of 
two sorts: one fierce, and armed with sharp-pointed teeth. which 
gives endless trouble to the fishermen, and is of a remorselessly cruel 
disposition ; while the other kind is naturally mild and tame, swims 
about in the friskiest way, and is quite like a fawning dog; it does 
not run!! (se in trans.) away when anyone tries to stroke it, and 
it takes with pleasure any food it is offered.” 
The first of these is probably the Indus species of the very curious 
genus of river porpoise (Platanista) which is foundin India. The 
jaws are provided with numerous conical, recurved teeth. These 
porpoises are very destructive to fish, and are occasionally accident- 
ally taken in nets. According to Jerdon,” they are speared by certain 
tribes of fishermen on the Ganges, who eat the flesh, and make oil 
from the blubber, which they use for burning. 
The other dolphin mentioned by Adlian may, perhaps, be iden- 
tified as a species of Delphinus, which often keeps company with 
vessels for long distances, though probably its tameness is somewhat 
exaggerated for the sake of contrast. 
9. WuHaLE (Kjos). 
Balenoptera indica, Blyth.—The Indian Fin-whale. 
Ailian® tells us that ‘‘ whales are to be found in the Indian sea; 
they are five times larger than the largest elephant. A rib of this 
monstrous fish measures as much as twenty cubits, and its lip fifteen 
cubits.”” Further on, he states that it is ‘‘not true that they come 
near the shore lying in wait for tunnies.”’ 
The rib, twenty cubits long, was probably really the ramus of a 
jaw, and the length given is therefore not excessive, since one in the 
Calcutta Museum, according to Jerdon,* from an individual eighty-four 
feet long, measured twenty-one feet; and it is said that specimens 
measuring up to one hundred feet have been stranded on the Indian 
coast. Rami of the jaws of whales are even now not uncommonly mis- 
taken for ribs. 
Since the species of this genus of whales feed on fish, the state- 
ment which Ailian denies was probably to some extent founded on 
actual observation. 
28 Hist. Anim, xvi. 18. 29 Mammals of India, p. 159. 
30 Hist. Anim., xvi 12. 31 Mammals of India, p. 161. 
