84 MAMMALIA. 



call of a bird; on ttis account, the seamen often term tliem 

 Sea- canaries I It is rarely that the regular whalers kill a Beluga, 

 their swiftness and activity giving them more trouble than the 

 oil is worth. I did hear, however, of one whaler that killed 

 several hrmdreds in the course of a summer ; but this is almost 

 an isolated case."* According to Professor Eschricht, the Beluga 

 contains enormous quantities of Cuttle {Sepia loligo), Haddock 

 {Gadus agJiJi lilts), and large Prawns. In August, 1793, two 

 males were cast ashore on the beach of the Pentland Frith, some 

 miles east of Thurso ; and one was killed on the eastern Scotch 

 coast in June, 1815. A very few other instances are on record 

 of the Beluga visiting the British Islands. 



An animal of this species was kept for some time alive in a 

 tank in North America, f It was sufficiently well trained during 

 the time that he was in confinement to allow himself to be har- 

 nessed to a car, in which he drew a young lady round the tank. 

 It learned to recognise its keeper, and woidd allow itself to 

 be handled by him, and at the proper time would come and put 

 its head out of the water to receive the harness or take its food. 

 This one was less docile, however, than an example of DeljMnus 

 tursio, which was for a time with it in the same tank. J A second 

 species of Beluga {B. Kingii) has been obtained off the coasts of 

 Australia, but not much is kno'v^Ti of it. 



In the second edition of the British Museum Catalogue of Seals 

 and Whales, by Dr. J. E. Gray, published in 1866, the Cetacea are 

 divided into two suborders, Cete and Sircnia ; and the Cete into 

 two sections, Mysticete and Denticefe. The Mgsiicefe consist of 

 the Toothless Whales and Rorquals, and the Benticete of the Cacha- 

 lots, Dolphins, and other genera that have teeth. Two families 

 are recognised of the Mysticete, viz., Bakeiiida (the Whale), and 

 Bolcenopterince (the Rorquals), &c. ; and the Balamopteridce are 

 arranged into three subfamilies, viz., MegapterincB (the Hunch- 

 back), Physalinw, and Bakenopterinee. Of a fossil species, Padceo- 

 cetits Sedgewickii, however, some remains of which have been 

 found in the Norfolk "crag" deposit. Dr. Gray remarks, that 

 " probablj^ when it is better known it will form a family {Paleeoce- 

 tidce), to be placed between Balmnidce and Balwnopiteridce." Of 



* Proceedings of the Zoological Society, 1868, p. 551. 



t At Barnmn's Museum, New York. 



X Boston Journal of Natural Sistory, 1863, p. 330. 



