334 



The Living Animals of the World 



animal for its size could scarcely be conceived ; and I have seen one, in the Indian Ocean, 

 fling itself three or four times in succession out of water like a salmon, striking the surface 

 each time as it fell back with a report like tliat of a gun. No one appears to have explained 

 whether performances of this sort are due to mere playfulness, or, as seems more p)robable, to 

 the attacks of parasites or such larger enemies as sharks or "killers." I have also seen four 

 thresher-sharks leaping out of water, and falling with a loud blow on the whale's back ; iDut 

 the victim lay quite still in this case, and may in fact have been worn out before we came 

 upon the scene. I wish to add that I took the word of the skipper, himself an old whaling- 

 captain, for their identity as threshers. The dazzling sun shone full on them, and on the 

 sea between, and it was impossible, even with the ship's telescope, to recognise them with 



any accuracy. The 

 I' cachalot h;is a very 



different profile from what 

 any one who had seen 

 only its skull in a 

 museum would be led to 

 expect, for the sjierm- 

 cavity in the forehead 

 is not indicated in the 

 bones. The structure of 

 the head enables the 

 animal to droji the lower 

 jaw almost at right angles 

 to the up2)er ; and Mr. 

 Frank Bullen quotes, in 

 his fascinating " Cruise 

 of the Cachalot." the 

 current belief that it does 

 so to attract its prey by 

 the whiteness of its teeth 

 and palate. Although 

 both fishes and cephalo- 

 j3ods are \'ery ciu'ious, 

 even to their own destruc- 

 tion, it is doubtful 

 whether the whale could 

 not catch its food more 

 rajjidly by swimming 

 ojDen-moutlied through 

 the acres of floating squid 

 encountered all over the 

 rp, ,y warmer waters of the ocean . 



Ihe iNarwiial, an arctic type, may be distinguished from all other cetaceans by the sin^rle 

 spu-al tusk m the left side of the head of the male. Sometimes the right tu^k -rows "as 



Photo bg A. S. Mudlatul <l- Sons, 



ELLIOTT'S DOLPHIN. 

 One of the cnmnioner Indian species. 



>^ 



I^hofo by A. 8. Kudtand (£■ y'ioiu. 



RISSO'S DOLPHIN. 



About 13 feet in lengtli, found in almost all oceans. 



8 feet; but in the female both teeth 



well, and either may attain a length of as much as 

 remain undeveloped. 



The Common Porpoise of our own seas, distinguished by its rounded head from the 

 equa y common beaked dolphin, is too familiar to need much description. It grows to a 

 ength of or 6 feet, and is dark in colour on the back and white beneath. Its cons,,icuous 

 back-fin IS always recognisable wlien it gamliols with a herd of its fellows; and a line 

 ot these sea-ing.s, a mile or sc in length, is no uncommon sight, their presence inshore bein<. 

 indicative on some parts of the coast of the coming of east wind. The porpoise, which lias^ 



