16 



PORPESSE, 



a man cannot hold his breath more than one 

 minute, and it is not every man who can do even 

 that. But if he thoroughly renovates his blood 

 by expelling all the impure air that remains in 

 the minuter tubes of his lungs, and takes a suc- 

 cession of deep inspirations, he will be able to 

 abstain from breathing for a much longer period. 

 I have just made the experiment myself, and 

 held my breath without difficulty for a minute 

 and a-half ; and had there been any necessity, 

 could have done so for another half minute. 



The porpesse is rather a sociable animal, being 

 generally seen in shoals, or schools, as the sailors 

 call them. I should hardly have said so much 

 about so common a creature, were it not for the 

 purpose of pointing out these remarkable facts in 

 its structure and habits : and even though it be 

 common, it is not so well known as might be 

 imagined. Not long ago, as I was on board 

 a steamer, a worthy old lady began to exhibit 

 symptoms of nervousness and alarm. I thought 

 she was fearing a storm, and told her that there 

 was not the least danger of any commotion of 

 the elements, for the barometer had been steadily 

 rising for the last two or three days. However, 

 it was a different subject that caused her uneasi- 

 ness. She had heard that there were porpesses 



