50 CETACEA. 



forks and knives, repaired to the scene of action, and commenced the terrible 

 onslaught. The dying agonies of the mighty monsters were truly tremendous. 

 Desperate from the repeated thrusts of the opponents, and from their inextric- 

 able position, their powerful tails wore wrought with astonishing effect. The 

 water (of which there was yet a quantity around them) was lashed into foam 

 and agitation, the crested waves stretching to an incredible distance, while high 

 in air the water ascended in one unbroken sheet. From their blow-holes the 

 crimsoned water was sent in a jet, imposhigly grand, to a great height. After 

 similar and protracted writhings, with a kind of snort or roar, their fury sub- 

 sided, and in a short time all was still. They were towed to the shore amidst 

 the gaze of numerous and wondering spectators, a large number of whom ar- 

 rived hourly to inspect them. A number of men were then employed to cut off 

 the blubber, of which there wei'e thirteen barrels, loading five carts. The di- 

 mensions of the largest fish were 24 feet 4 inches in length, and 16 feet at the 

 thickest part in circumference; the smaller one about 16 feet long, and thick in 

 proportion. The tail of the largest was 6| feet in breadth." 



It is very probable that other paragraphs to the same effect may have 

 appeared in the newspapers, especially as those here introduced I observed 

 merely on a casual perusal of some of those published in a provincial town. 

 It is rarely that such notices are of any service to the naturalist, but the 

 very peculiar form of the head of the animal under consideration (whence 

 it has received the name of the Bottle-nosed Whale), taken in connexion 

 with the dimensions stated, leaves no doubt in any instance here quoted 

 that the Ilyperoodon is alluded to. "Were the size of the individual de- 

 scribed about one hdlf of what is reported, then would there be a doubt 

 whether the captives might not have been the Bottle-nosed Dolphin {Del- 

 phinus Titrsio, Fabr.), a much smaller species, having the snout prolonged 

 somewhat like that of the Hyperoodon, and which is occasionally taken on 

 the British coast. 



The three Hi/peroodojis recorded to have occurred on the English shores 

 appeared singly. The two particularly described by M. Baussard * were 

 taken in company at Honfleur, and considered a mother and her young — 

 the one was 23, the other 12, feet in length. Of the seven individuals 

 captui-ed on the Irish coast, they on two occasions appeared in pairs ; and 

 in one of the three instances here copied from newspapers two of these 

 whales were secured at the same time. It would be interesting to know 

 whether those which have so appeared were male and female — at all 

 events it would seem that the species is not gregarious. 



So very little of the history of the Ilyperoodon is known, that it is hoped 

 even tlie few particulars here recorded may prove an acceptable contri- 

 bution." 



And in the Annals for March, 1846, vol. xvii. p. 150, I added the 

 following notice : — 



"In a paper published in the Annals for February, 1840 (vol. iv. p. 

 375), I noticed seven Hyperoodons, the first of which had previously been 

 most fully described by l)r. Jacob of Dublin as having been obtained on 

 a limited portion of the coast of Ireland, comprised in less than the north- 

 ern half of the eastern line of coast, or merely from the Bay of Belfast to 

 that of DubHn inclusive. An eighth, about 24 feet in length, examined 

 by Dr. G. J. Allman, was obtained at the island of Ireland's Eye, on the 

 Dublin coast, on the 30th of October, 1842. I have now to record the oc- 

 currence of a ninth individual procured within the same range of coasts. 



* F. Cuv. Hist, de Get. pp. 212, 249. 



