Amenities of Porpoise Life 6g 



bodies twenty feet into the air, as if it were impossible 

 for them to be violent enough in their exercise, is to 

 feel, no matter how dull one may be, that something 

 out of the common must be going to happen. The 

 theory of some great enemy being in pursuit is un- 

 tenable, for these stupendous stampedes are always 

 succeeded after a few minutes by a like period of steady 

 easy-going, except that here and there some excited 

 member of the family will be seen indulging in a solitary 

 leap or so. Then there will be another race, and so on. 



Life is pleasant for the Dolphin in all his varieties. 

 The amazing fecundity of the sea supplies abundant 

 food — fish of many sorts and the smaller cuttle-fish 

 being obtainable in vast numbers wherever the Dolphin 

 frequent, from Antarctica to Jan Mayen. Enemies 

 they have, of course ; as we descend the scale of size 

 we find the struggle of life grows fiercer, but they are 

 far better off than the Mysticetae. For their vicious 

 relative the grampus must put on top speed to catch 

 them, as must also the sword-fish, except in the case of 

 cow porpoises with young. Like the humpbacks and 

 Rorquals generally, they are devoted parents, taking 

 the utmost care of their young, and defending them at 

 cost of their own lives. The young are very docile — 

 many times it has been only by the closest observation 

 that I have detected the tiny calf, looking not much 

 bigger than a large trout, apparently glued on to the 

 side of its mother, so closely did it follow her every 

 movement, however rapid and erratic. 



One habit obtains among the smaller Dolphins 

 which is not practised by any other of the cetacea. It 

 is the cannibalistic one of immediately tearing in pieces 

 and devouring any one of their number which happens 

 to get wounded. Many a time have I seen one slip off 

 the harpoon, with a great rent in his side from which 



