26 



ous book, indeed ; and he had got besides " The 

 Recess," and " Valentine and Orson," and " Ros- 

 lin Castle," and a book of Prayers, just like the 

 Bible; but he could not but say that he liked 

 " The Adventures of a Louse" the best of any of 

 them. 



December 13. 



We caught a dolphin, but not with the spear : 

 he gorged a line which was fastened to the stern, 

 and baited with salt pork ; but being a very large 

 and strong fish, his efforts to escape were so pow- 

 erful, that it was feared that he would break 

 the line, and a grainse (as the dolphin-spear is 

 technically termed) was thrown at him : he was 

 struck, and three of the prongs were buried in his 

 side ; yet, with a violent effort, he forced them out 

 again, and threw the lance up into the air. I am 

 not much used to take pleasure in the sight of 

 animal suffering; but if Pythagoras himself had 

 been present, and " of opinion that the soul of his 

 grandam might haply inhabit" this dolphin, I think 

 he must still have admired the force and agility dis- 

 played in his endeavours to escape. Imagination 

 can picture nothing more beautiful than the colours 

 of this fish : while covered by the waves he was 

 entirely green ; and as the water gave him a case 

 of transparent crystal, he really looked like one 

 solid piece of living emerald ; when he sprang into 

 the air, or swam fatigued upon the surface, his fins 



