16 



MAIIMALIA. 



and particularly on Salmon. These try in vain to escape from their 

 enemy ; their manoeuvres are generally defeated with marvellous 

 address. Travellers, who have witnessed the pursuit of the Sal- 

 mon hy the Porpoise, say that it is a very curious and amusing 

 sight. 



The Porpoise aboimds in our (French) seas ; it even comes up 

 the rivers, and has been sometimes seen at Rouen, and even as far 

 as Paris. In the middle ages. Porpoise hunting was of a certain 

 importance to the Eui'opean nations ; for its flesh was then much 

 sought after by all classes of society. The pursuit of them is still 

 carried on in the north, either for their flesh, which is eaten 



Fig. 21.— Porp 



by the Laplanders and Greenlanders, or for their fat, which is 

 sent into Europe. 



The common Porpoise is one of the smallest of the animals of this 

 family; the Grampus, or the Gladiator Dolphin (Orca), is, on the 

 other hand, one of the largest animals of its group, attaining to 

 eight metres in length. 



The Grainpus is common in northern seas. It is a very strong 

 and excessively voracious animal. Sir Josejjh Banks says that 

 a Grampus, which had been struck with harpoons and made 

 fast to a boat, towed it with tour people in it, in spite of a strong 



