282 BELPHINID^. 



to the animal intended by the ancients, and characterizes it, "Museau 

 conforme eomme celui du Dauphin vulgaire, dents larges et crenelees 

 sur leurs bords" — being a translation of Artedi (Gen. Pisoium, 76, 3), 

 " D. rostro snrsum repando, dentibus latis serratis." 



0. Fabricius observes that he never saw D. Orca ; but Professor 

 Eschricht believes the Physeter mierops of 0. Fabricius to be the 

 Killer, or D. Orca of Linnaeus (Dan. Trans, xii.). 



Fabricius says, " The Aidluihhas in the lower jaw 22 teeth, 11 on 

 each side, arched, falciform, hollow internally as far as the point, 

 projecting scarcely a third part (and this visible part is enamelled, 

 compressed-conical, with the point sharp, curved inwardly and at the 

 same time verging a little backwards ; but the concealed part broader 

 and having two parts, compressed anteriorly and posteriorly, and, 

 especially on the side nearest the throat, channelled) ; of the length 

 of a finger, and 1| inch broad; the middle ones larger, the anterior 

 and posterior smaller. Beak rather obtuse. Beside the pectoral fins, 

 it has a long, erect dorsal fin. In size it is to be regarded as amongst 

 the smaller whales. Skin glabrous, black ; the fat thick, but little 

 oily ; flesh red." — Fabriems, Faun. Graenl. 



Of the Aidluih wonderful stories are told : the following is not the 

 most extraordinary : — " Where these appear, all the seals disappear, 

 else they make desperate slaughter among them ; for they have such 

 sagacity and skiU. in catching them with the mouth and fins, that 

 they are sometimes seen loaded with five at a time, one in the mouth, 

 a couple under each fin, and one under the back fin." — Grantz, Ch-een- 

 land, i. 116. 



I formerly thought that the Aidluik of 0. Fabricius was identical 

 with the Balcena rnicrocephala of Sibbald ; but Professor Eschricht 

 observes that it is most important, in the determination of 0. Fabri- 

 cius's synonyma, to attend to the Greenlanders' names, as they are 

 most accurate cetologists. He states (on the authority of Captain 

 HolboU) "that two of the animals which Fabricius referred to 

 Physeter — viz. 1st, the ' Pernak' (which he called P. Catodosn), pro- 

 bably, and, 2nd, the ' Aidluik,' called by him P. mierops (which 

 Cuvier thought might be D. glohiceps), certainly — axe the Northern 

 Sword-fish, Delphinus Orca." — Koncf. bansJee Afhandl. xi. 136. (See 

 also Eschricht, CEversigt Kong. Vid. Selsk. Forh. 1862, 66.) In his 

 last paper he regards the ArdluTcsoaTc, or the Large Greenland Orque, 

 as the male, and the Aidhdk as the female of the Delphinus Orca. — 

 Ann. Sei. Nat. 1864, 209. 



Fabricius's description of the 'Aidluik' wiU do for Orca gladiator, 

 except that he calls it black, and does not mention the very remark- 

 able white marks of that species, and he described the lower jaw 

 only as toothed. Now the tipper teeth of Orca are not deciduous. 

 It is more probably a Orampw. 



Lilljeborg describes two species of Orca, one with 11, and the other 

 with 12 ribs ; but they seem to vary in number in the same specimens. 

 Professor Eschricht thinks there are more than one European species 

 of Orca ; but he has. not characterized the species, and only gives 

 some rambling notes on their wanting systematic consideration. 



