568 



THE WHALES. 



connected with them. They are all gregarious, some 

 of them collecting in very large shoals and roam- 

 ing about the sea together for days and weeks. 

 Their liveliness, playfulness and lack of shyness have 

 earned them the friendship of sailors and poets 

 from the most remote ages. 



Nearly all Dolphins swim with remarkable speed 

 and agility, and are therefore highly adapted for 

 catching fish, and among their numbers are some of 

 the most formidable and predaceous beasts of the 

 ocean. Some species even dare attack the largest of 

 Whalebone Whales, and often conquer them by dint 

 of perseverance. The food of the Dolphins consists 

 principally of cephalopods, moUusks, crustaceans 

 and minute sea organisms, but some are also said to 

 consume sea-wedds and even fruits of trees, pluck- 

 ing the latter from the branches that hang over the 

 water. They are all voracious, greedy and cruel, 

 consuming every eatable thing which they can pro- 

 cure and not even disdaining the young of their own 



are eaten; the skin and intestines are utilized, and 

 the blubber yields a very fine oil, which is in great 

 request. 



THE GRAMPUS. 



Among the numerous species, of which this family 

 consists, the Grampus or Killer Whale, known from 

 the earliest ages and notorious for its voracity, de- 

 serves to be mentioned first. It represents a genus 

 of' the same name {Oreo). The most prominent fea- 

 ture is the exceedingly long, erect dorsal fin. The 

 body is stout, the head short, the forehead sloping, 

 the snout rather broad and the teeth are few in num- 

 ber, but very strong. 

 Characteristics and The Grampus or Killer Whale {Orca 



Range of the gladiator) may sometimes attain a 



Grampus. length of thirty feet, but averages 



a smaller size, usually from thirteen to twenty feet. 



The color seems to be very variable. A more or 



less deep black extends over the greater part of the 



THE GKAMPITS. This animal, also known as the Killer Whale, has, because of its ferocious and voracious nature, been aptly termed 



"the Wolf of the Seas." Several of them sometimes unite in attacking the ijreat Greenland Whale and kill it, while White Whales, Porpoises and 

 Seals are killed by the Grampus singly. A stout body and short head, powerful jaws beset with strong teeth, and a long, dorsal fin, are prominent 

 features in this species. (Orca gladiator.) 



kind or of their nearest relatives. The females give 

 birth to one or two young, suckle them for a long 

 time, carefully protect and tend them and defend 

 them in danger. It is believed that the young grow 

 very slowly. 



Pursuit of the AH Dolphins are pursued very much 

 Dolphins and its less by Man than are the other 

 Profits. Whales. Their worst foes are the 

 members of their own family; but their own indis- 

 creet zeal is still more fatal to them than are the 

 attacks of any of their enemies. They pursue their 

 prey with such greed and eagerness that they often 

 allow it to lead them to disaster on the treacherous 

 shore: they run aground, can not swim back, and 

 thus perish on the dry land. Fishermen sometimes 

 find dozens of them lying on the beach. In their 

 agony some of them utter moans, a few shedding 

 copious tears at the same time. 



Man derives considerable profit from many spe- 

 cies, for nearly all parts of the body are put to ac- 

 count. The flesh, fat and some of the internal parts 



upper surface, a rather pure white over the lower 

 surface, with the exception of the extremities of 

 head and tail. It inhabits the northern Atlantic, 

 the Arctic Ocean and the northern Pacific, perma- 

 nently frequenting the coasts of England, France 

 and Germany. An odd feature in connection with its 

 migrations is that it appears in the southern waters 

 in the summer months, being wont to arrive in May 

 and disappear in the late fall. 



The Grampus is numerous nowhere, but is found 

 in mid-ocean as well as near coasts, not infrequently 

 entering bays or even ascending rivers. 



It hunts not only small fish, but also the giants 

 of the ocean, for it is not only the largest but also 

 the greediest and the most predaceous of all Dol- 

 phins. Wherever it appears it is the terror of all 

 creatures to which it is an enemy, and if possible 

 they leave its dangerous vicinity. Its voracity often 

 compels it to live near the coast, where it generally 

 frequents the mouths of rivers, teeming with fish; 

 but when in pursuit of larger prey it swims out into 



