660 
VEPvTEBRATA. 
THE PORPOISE. 
some places they almost darken the sea as they rise above water to take breath ; they not only 
seek for prey near the surface, but often descend to the bottom in search of sand-eels and sea- 
worms, which they root out of the sand with their noses, in the same manner as hogs when 
pursuing their food in the field. In fine weather they leap, roll, and tumble in the most joyous 
manner, principally in the spring and summer, which is supposed to be their pairing season. As 
they are seen on the surface at such times they appear like black pigs, and hence are often called 
Sea-Hoc/s and Hog-Fish. They go up the rivers in pursuit of the salmon, as well as other fish. The 
oil of this species is of the purest kind. Their flesh is now very rarely eaten among civilized people, 
but formerly it was esteemed a great delicacy, and all the arts of the cook were lavished upon it for 
the tables of the great. The Greenlanders qualf the oil and devour the flesh with high relish. 
Genus GRAMPUS : Grampus. — Of this is the Grampus, the Del-pMnus griseus of Cuvier, the 
Phoccena grisea of Lesson, It is a large species, measuring fifteen to twenty feet. It is exceed- 
ingly voracious, feeding not only upon fishes of various kinds, but even upon some of the smaller 
cetacea. It is common in the northern seas, and is often seen near the coast of the United States. 
Other species are as follows : the G. Rissoanus, caught near Nice ; G. RicJiardsonii, described by 
Gray in the Zoology of the Erebus and Terror; and the G. Sakamata, found on the coasts of Japan. 
Genus GLOBIOCEPHALUS : Globiocephalus. — This includes the Pilot- Wpiale, G. svineval, 
also known to sailors as the Black Whale, Hoivling Whale, Social Whale, Bottle-Head, &c. It 
is the Delphinus globiceps of Cuvier, the Narwhal Edente and Petit Cachalot of the French. It 
is of a black color, with a white streak from throat to vent. It is a native of the North Sea, and 
has been taken off" the coast of Scotland ; also at the east end of Long Island and in Long Island 
Sound. A skull in the British Museum measures twenty-eight inches in length. 
'The Black Fish of the American sailors, G. intermedins, inhabits the coasts of North America. 
The Smaller Pilot- Whale, G. affi,nis, is the Delphinus melas of Owen. Its locality is un- 
IcnoAvn. 
G. Sieholdii is a native of the coasts of Japan, where it is called JSfaiso-Gota. 
G. macrorhynchus is the Blackfish of the South Sea whalers. It inhabits the South Seas. 
Genus OR.CA : Orca. — This includes the Killer, the Delphinus orca of Linnseus, Grampus of 
Hunter, Delphinus Grampus and Large Grampus of Owen. It inhabits the North Sea, and has 
been taken on various parts of the British coasts. 
The Cape Killer, Q. Capensis — the Delphinus globiceps of Owen — inhabits the Southern Pa- 
cific Ocean. 
0. intermedia is a smaller species, described by Dr. Gray in the Zoology of the Erebus and Terror. 
Genus LAGENORHYNCHUS : Lagenorhynchus. — This includes the White-sided Bottle- 
Nose, the Delphinus Tursio of Knox. It is a native of the North Sea. 
The White-beaked Bottle-Nose, L. albirostris — of which a specimen was taken off the coast 
>of Norfolk, England, in 1846. 
The Eleotra, L. JElectra, is described by Dr. Gray in the Zoology of the Erebus and Terror. 
