CHAPTER IX 



THE ORDER OF WHALES AND PORPOISES 



OETE 



To some persons who are beyond the reach of large museums, or a complete work on natural 

 history, the whales, dolphins and porpoises seem very far away. To those who live far from the 

 sea, it might seem justifiable to omit them from our list; but, inasmuch as all Americans travel, 

 and nearly every reader of this book is certain to observe some of the great sea-mammals dis- 

 porting in the waves of their ocean home, it is necessary to give them a brief notice. 



The salt waters of the world are inhabited by what is really a great array of species of fish- 

 like mammals, some of which are the largest creatures that ever inhabited the earth. It is 

 a satisfaction to know that even the largest of the great extinct lizards of North America did 

 not equal the gigantic bulk of a ninety-foot sulphur-bottom whale of our Pacific coast. 



Although the Cetaceans are very fish-like in form, and also in mode of life, they are warm- 

 blooded mammals, which breathe air instead of water, drown if submerged too long, bring 

 forth their young ajive, and nourish them with milk from their own bodies. For the protection 

 of their flesh and vital organs from the cold of Arctic waters, they are completely enveloped 

 in a thick' layer of fat, called "blubber," which lies under the skin, and is impervious to cold. 

 It is as if a man had a layer of felt an inch thick under his skin. 



All Cetaceans are destitute of hair, and in most cases the skin is as smooth as plate-glass. 

 The great majority of them have teeth, but many are toothless. Except the whales of greatest 

 commercial value, Jittle is known of the habits of Cetaceans generally. It is very difficult to 

 study creatures that make their home in the sea, and can be closely studied only when killed. 

 Nevertheless, quite a number of interesting facts regarding these strange animals have been 

 brought together, chiefly by observing whalers. Their four Families are as follows : 



CETACEANS: 



Cete. 



1. Baleen Whales : 



(without teeth) 

 Balaenidae. 



Sperm Whales: 



(with teeth) 

 Physeteridae. 



3. Dolphins 



and 

 Porpoises : 



Delphinidae. 



" Whalebone " Whales, of large size, without teeth. 

 The mouth is provided with " baleen," commercially 

 called "whalebone." This group includes the Svl- 

 phur-Bottom, largest of all whales, and about fifteen 

 other species. 



Whales with a narrow, beak-like lower jaw, and formid- 

 able teeth. There are four species,, varying in size 

 from the Pigmy Sperm Whale, 12 feet long, to the 

 great Sperm Whale, 80 feet long. 



This Family includes about thirty species of Dolphins, 

 Porpoises, Grampuses, Blackfish and Narwhals. They 

 vary in size from the five-foot common Porpoise to 

 the thirty-foot Orca, or " Whale-Killer." All save a 

 very few are harmless, but the Killer is the most sav- 

 age and dangerous creature that swims the seas. 



4. Fresh-Water 

 Dolphins : 



Platinistidae. 



■ The narrow-beaked dolphins of the Amazon and Ganges. 



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