BRIEF SKETCH OF THE TOOTHED WHALES. 97 



to the Whalebone Whales. Taste would not appear to be highly- 

 developed, and the tongue is more or less fixed to the floor of 

 the mouth. Many of the Toothed Whales are extremely sensi- 

 tive to their surroundings, and some observers have supposed 

 that, for instance, the Sperm-Whales are enabled to com- 

 municate with their fellows at long distances, or at least that 

 the latter, especially the females, become aware of danger to 

 their fellows, and endeavour to succour them. 



The general acuteness and the social instincts of the Toothed 

 Whales are highly developed. The dexterity of a pair of Ca'ing 

 Whales in surveying a series of salmon-stake nets is noteworthy. 

 Their strong social instincts often lead to their destruction, the 

 whole "school" or herd keeping together and being driven by 

 encircling boats on shore. It would be difficult to find a better 

 illustration than that which occurred in Scalloway Harbour 

 (Shetland) a season or two before 1871. More than two 

 hundred of these Whales had been driven by a chain of boats 

 into the harbour of Scalloway, which formed a fatal cul-de-sac, 

 communicating with the outer sea only by a narrow inlet. The 

 slaughter of the unfortunate animals was at its height in the 

 confined area, in which the Whales were so packed that boats 

 and men were upset in the deeply dyed water, when a large old 

 male, approaching 30 ft. in length, broke through the boats on 

 guard, passed along the narrow inlet, and, in spite of opposition, 

 reached the open sea. There he swam about a short time, but, 

 finding himself alone, he once more headed for the inlet, passed 

 the boats, and was killed in the centre of the others in Scallo- 

 way Harbour. The men justly regarded him as the leader of 

 the herd.* 



In connection with the reproduction of the Cetaceans, a 

 feature of moment in the structure of the adult male Porpoise 

 is the great size of the testes, which in July occupy a large 

 share of the abdominal cavity, and at first sight are apparently 

 out of proportion to the needs of the animal, which is often 

 seen in pairs all round the coasts of Britain. It is true, at 

 a glance, in Shetland one hundred and fifty or more may be 

 observed during the same month, disporting themselves (pro- 



* The skulls of the Ca'ing Whales are generally used as props for boats 

 at Scalloway, a purpose for which their shape peculiarly fits them. 

 Zool 4th ser. vol. XV., March, 1911. i 



