The Dying Dolphin 239 



fish, or play of sunlight, that all splendid hues known 

 to man seem to be reproduced on its body. It flashes 

 through all the colour-schemes imaginable with in- 

 credibly swift and dazzling effect, then as swiftly all 

 the colours seem to blend into one duU silver grey, 

 which renders the fish almost invisible amid the bright 

 blue of the sea. 



It has long been an article of poetic faith that the 

 dying Dolphin is more splendid in his colour changes 

 than he ever is during life ; but from this, after long 

 experience, I must emphatically dissent. It is true 

 that when a Dolphin suffers sudden and violent death, 

 such as being transfixed by the granes or five-pointed 

 fish-spear in common use on board ship, his body does 

 exhibit a series of swiftly changing colours, fairly 

 vivid. But they are never so brilliant as those shown 

 by the living fish, when in the height of his activity he 

 hurls himself in arrowy flight after his prey, or springs 

 perpendicularly into the sunshine, the spray falling 

 from him like a shower of diamonds, and his glorious 

 hues flashing in the glare of the sun, with an effect 

 beyond the power of any artist to depict or pen to 

 describe. 



When, however, the Dolphin is caught with a hook 

 and laid on deck to die, the kaleidoscopic changes 

 are still apparent, but oh, so faint and dulled compared 

 with those shown by the living fish, or even with the 

 ■speared creature. And some time before he dies a 

 dull leaden shade comes over his gaudy body, and 

 ■never goes away again. It is permanent and beautiful, 

 for some reason which I do not understand. Nothing 

 in Nature I should say can give more pleasure to a 

 colour-loving eye than the sight of a number of Dolphin 

 on a sunny day, when the sea is smooth enough to 

 observe all their motions properly. Not even the 



