DU. S. F. HARMER ON SOME MARKINGS ON A DOLPHIN. 
185 
X. 
ON SOME MARKINGS ON THE SKIN OF A DOLPHIN 
( DELPHINUS DELPHIS). 
With Plate. 
By Sidney F. Harmer, Sc.D., F.R.S. 
Head 26th February, 1901. 
The specimen referred to in this note was captured in a Pilchard- 
net, three miles off Movagissey, Cornwall, early in September, 1900. 
It was sent to the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, 
through the kind offices of Mr. Matthias Dunn of Mevagissey. 
The total length was GA feet, measured in a straight line. The 
stomach contained the remains of about twelve nearly digested 
Herrings, and the reproductive organs were those of the female sex. 
Mr. Dunn’s reason for sending me this specimen was the existence 
of numerous remarkable series of equi-distant, parallel scratches, some 
of which are clearly brought out in the figure. The scratches were 
usually longest in the middle of the series ; and most of them came 
within the limits 8 — 60 mm., although this length was considerably 
exceeded in some cases. They were for the most part 5 mm. apart, 
the greatest distance noted between two scratches of one series 
being 7 mm. The maximum number found in any one group 
was 22, but some of the groups consisted of only a few scratches. 
They occurred quite irregularly over the body. On the left side 
they were most numerous on the thickest part of the body, but 
they were found on both sides, on the body, on the root of the tail, 
on the two surfaces of the pectoral fin, and in other positions. 
There could be no doubt that they were wounds, since they occurred 
in all conditions, from deep scratches which were clearly of recent 
date to completely healed ones still visible as slight scars. This 
shows that the markings cannot have been caused during the capture 
of the animal. The triangular series seen in the figure just behind 
the eye, and described below, consisted of recent scratches. In the 
one immediately below its widest portion the skin had recently 
healed. 
This specimen excited my interest largely in consequence of 
