THE ca'ing -vvhale. 45 



ing the idea of " a double-roofed house." They inclined to float lazily on 

 the surface when not disturbed ; and when they disappeared underneath 

 it was only for a short time. Water was blown from the front of the head 

 when the latter was above the sea, and in a forward direction along the 

 surface— not upwards. 



All parties who saw the animals agreed that they were neither hottle- 

 nosed whales nor dolphins ; and I have no doubt, everything considered, 

 that they were grampuses. 



"When at Newcastle (County Down) in October, 1S51, I was informed 

 by fishermen that the grampus is seen there every summer, and is called 

 the " Herring Hog." They identified the species on my showing them 

 the figures in Bell's British Quadrupeds. 



The Ca'ing Whale, Plwccena meJas, Bell, Delphiims melas, Traill., 



Is of not very unfrequent occurrence on the ocean-coasts of Ireland. 



I am not aware of their having visited the eastern line of coast, the 

 favoured one of the Hi/peroodon. Some years since, in the Annals of 

 Natural History (vol. v.), I noticed the D. melas as follows : — 



" This species is stated by Dr. Ball of Dublin to be occasionally driven 

 ashore in large herds on the southern coast of Ireland, and to be of frequent oc- 

 currence in the month of June at Youghal. Here a herd of seventy-tive came 

 ashore a few j'ears ago, of which the average size was from 11 to IS feet, but 

 one individual had attained to 22 feet in length. Wlien visiting the South 

 Islands of Arran (off the coast of Clare), in jmie, 1834, accompanied by Dr. 

 Ball, a portion of a skeleton of a D.'melas was found by us on the beach. On 

 this gentleman revisiting the same islands in the following summer, he saw the 

 remains of a herd of these animals lying where they had perished : the inhabit-' 

 ants speak of them as common." 



Since the preceding appeared, the following newspaper paragraphs have 

 come under my notice. 



" The Ca'ing Whale. — A shoal of the above came into the bay at Ardmore 

 on Friday, and many were captured by the poor people in the neighbourhood." 

 — Copied from the Cork Standard into the Northern Whig, July 4th, 1840. 



" Capture of Whales. — On Sunday morning an immense shoal of large 

 fish was observed by Mr. William Murphy and others of Carracloe, disporting 

 oif that coast. After the lapse of some time, two boats manned by willuig and 

 athletic hands pushed out in pursuit, armed with guns, &c. The second shot 

 having taken effect on one of those novel visitors to our shore, it innnediately 

 uttered a fearful cry and rushed towards the Wexford bar, followed by ail its 

 comrades. The pursuers continued firuig and making much noise, and finally 

 succeeded in driving them on shore near the Raven Point, where they made 

 thirty-eight captives. They proved to be that description of the whale tribe 

 known by the name of the " bottle-nose," and vary in length from ten to twenty- 

 eight feet, and in weight from five cwt. to four tons. The captors are busily 

 engaged in saving the blubber and other unctuous parts, for the purpose of ex- 

 tracting the oil, which promises to be abundant." — Copied from the Wexford 

 Independent into the Belfast Commercial Chronicle, July 8th, 1840. 



"Extensive Capture of Whales in Lough Swilly. — On Wednesday 

 morning last a large shoal of whales of the bottle-nosed species were observed 

 making their way into Lough Swilly, — probably in pursuit of herrings. The 

 fishermen of the island of Inch, RathmuUen, and the adjacent coasts immedi- 

 ately mustered in force, and succeeded in embaying the gigantic fish till the tide 

 receded, and left them struggling on the sand, where, in a short time, no fewer 

 than seventy-three were despatched, one of which ■\\lnghs four tons and a half." 

 —Copied from the Northern Whig, July 24th, 1810. 



