MAMMALIA. CETE. Dolphin. $65 



Beluga. Penn. fyn. of quad. 357. Ar£t. zool. i. 182. D\ app. p. 103. — Bkluga. Stell. Camtfch. 

 1 06.— Witt fifch, Weifs fifch. Anderf. ill. 251. Crantz, groenl. 150. 



Inhabits the feas near the Arctic Pole, and the river St. Lawrence. — This fpecies forms a connec- 

 tion between the Cetaceous fiflies and quadrupeds, through the genus of Walrus or Trichechus, ha- 

 ving the general fifh form and fpout-hole of the former, while the pectoral fins have each the rudi- 

 ments of five toes, the bones of which may be felt through the fkin, and form five fenfible projec- 

 tions outwardly. The Beluga lives moftly in families of five to ten together, in the gulphs or firths, 

 at the mouths of large rivers, efpecially the St. Lawrence, the Oby, and the Dwlna, going up gene- 

 rally as far as the tide reaches, at certain times of the year, when they are killed in great numbers, 

 either by means of harpoons or ftrong nets, for the fake of their oil, and for their fkins, of which 

 a ftrong kind of leather, faid to be mufket proof, is manufactured. The fkin is very fmooth, flip- 

 pery, and of a beautiful white colour; but, when young, it is dufky, and even blackifli. The whole 

 animal never exceeds eighteen feet long, is thicker in the middle, and grows narrower towards both 

 ends. The head is fmall, and oblong, with very fmall eyes, which are rounded and prominent ; the 

 fpout-hole is placed on the fore-head, and is divided into two, internally, near the pallate, by a fep- 



. turn or partition ; on each fide of each jaw there are nine fhort bluntifh teeth. The tail is cartilagi- 

 nous, and is divided into two lobes; by bending this under its belly, like the tail of a lobfter, it gives 

 fuch fprings, while fwimming, as to go through the water almoft with the velocity of an arrow. The 

 females have two paps, which are at times found full of white milk. The male organ is about three 



•inches long, and nearly the fame in diameter, having neither cartilage nor bone in its fubftance like 



. thofe of the other fpecies of the order. 



INDEX. 



