l6o NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE. 



that he has been often confounded with it. He is, however, 

 much larger, sometimes measuring from twenty to twenty-five 

 feet in length. The body is roundish, growing gradually less 

 towards the tail; the nose is long and pointed, the skin 

 smooth, the back black or dusky blue, becoming white towards 

 the belly. He is entirely destitute of gills, or any similar 

 aperture, but respires and also spouts water through a pipe 

 of semi-circular form placed on the upper part of the head. 

 There are several varieties of dolphins, including the Long- 

 nosed Dolphins of the rivers of Asia and South America and 

 the Classical Dolphin of the Mediterranean {Delphinus delphts) 

 The former are separately classified, and the family of the 

 latter includes the White Whale, the Narwhal, the Common 

 Porpoise and the Grampus. The dolphin is gregarious in its 

 habits, herding and travelling in large shoals. It may some- 

 times be seen sporting in the bays and rivers of New York 

 and is always a pretty sight. 



The White The White Whale [Beluga catodon) is the whale 

 ■Whale which Dr. R. Brown calls the whale of Green- 

 land. It is the whale which the Greenlander and the Eskimo 

 find so valuable for its oil and flesh, the latter of which they 

 dry for winter use. They are sometimes called sea pigs, from 

 a fancied resemblance they bear to the pig when floim- 

 dering in the sea, and sometimes sea canaries, on account 

 of their peculiar whistle, which resembles that of a bird. 



The BTarwhaL The narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is found 

 frequently in company with the white whale, and inhabits 

 much the same geographical area. It is distinguished by the 

 possession of a tusk, the aim and purpose of which has been 

 much debated. "It has been supposed to use it," says Dr. 

 Brown, "to stir up its food from the bottom, but in such a 

 case the female would be sadly at a loss. Fabricius thought 

 that it was to keep the holes open in the ice during the 

 winter; and the following occurrence seems to support this 

 view. In April, i860, a Greenlander was travelling along the 



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