248 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Ann. Nat. Hist., 1st series, vol. iv. 1840, p. 379, and vol. v. 

 1840, p. 361). Byerley records four occurrences : one on the East 

 Hoyle Bank, 1850; one at Little Meols about the year 1851 ; a 

 male, 21 ft. long, on the East Hoyle Bank, Aug. 25th, 1853. For 

 three weeks after the capture of the last-named specimen another 

 — supposed to be its mate — frequented the neighbourhood, but 

 was not secured. One, 24 ft. long, was stranded at Speke in 

 October, 1856. The skeleton is preserved in the Nottingham 

 Museum (T. J. Moore, * Report ii. Liverpool Marine Biology 

 Committee,' p. 142). One captured near Speke on Sept. 2nd, 1881 

 (T. J. Moore, Proc. Liv. Lit. and Phil. Soc, vol. xxxvi. 1881-2, 

 p. xlix). 



Family Delphinid^e. 



Phoccena communis, F. Cuv. ; Porpoise. — Byerley describes 

 this species as "frequent in shoals during stormy and changeable 

 weather ; " and Mr. Newstead says, " Often occurs in the Mersey 

 below Eastham." Moore states, in his list of Seals and Whales, 

 that a form " named by Dr. Gray P. tuber culif era, on account of 

 a series of short spiny processes on the front edge of the dorsal 

 fin, would appear to be not uncommon, for two specimens at least 

 had come under his observation in our district; namely, one 

 speared a quarter of a mile off the Rock Lighthouse, Feb. 7th, 

 1867, measuring 4 ft. 8f in., and another, 4 ft. 4 in., taken near 

 the Herculaneum Dock, Oct. 12th, 1881." 



Orca gladiator (Lacep.) ; Grampus. — A male, stated to have 

 been 25 ft. in length, was stranded at West Kirby on March 22nd, 

 1876. The purchaser of the carcase stated that in its death 

 agony the creature threw up a quantity of sea-fowls' feathers 

 (T. J. Moore, Proc. Liv. Lit. and Phil. Soc, vol. xxx. 1875-6, 

 p. lxxxv). 



Lagenorhynchus albirostris (Gray) ; White-beaked Dolphin. — 

 A full-grown male of this species was stranded on the rocks at 

 Little Hilbre on Dec. 29th, 1862, and was secured by Mr. Barnett, 

 of Hilbre, for the Brown Museum, Liverpool. It lived eight 

 hours after it was taken from the water (T. J. Moore, Ann. and 

 Mag. of Nat. Hist., 3rd series, vol. ii. 1863, p. 236). 



Delphinus delphis, L. ; Common Dolphin. — This species has 

 been observed twice on the Cheshire coast. One was found on 

 the shore at New Brighton on Feb. 13th, 1879. The skeleton is 

 in the Brown Museum, Liverpool (T. J. Moore, Proc. Liv. Lit. 



