406 roRPEftSE.' 
lour of three of the species is black on the upper, 
and white on the under parts ; that of the remaining 
one is entirely white. They are often seen in shoals 
of ftom five or six,, to twenty and upwards,, gam - 
holing about the ocean. Their food consists .al- 
most wholly of fish., and principally of mackerel 
and herrings. 
They have teeth io both their jaws ; and their 
spiracle or breathing hole is on the anterior and 
tipper part of the head. Their tails,, as in the other 
animals of this order., are horizontal/ contrary to 
the position of the tails of fish, which are always 
upright. 
Porpesse. 
The porpesse is well known in all the European 
seas. In its general form it very much resembles 
the dolphin ; it is., however, somewhat less in size,, 
and has a snout both much broader and shorter. 
It is generally from six to seven feet in length ; 
thick in the fore parts, and gradually tapering 
towards the tail. The colour is either a bluish 
black, or a very dark brown above, and nearly 
white beneath. 
These animals live chiefly on the smaller fish, 
such as mackerel and herrings, which they pursue 
with much eagerness. They also root about the 
shores with their snout, in quest of food, in the 
manner of the hog ; and Mr. Ray says that in the 
stomach of one that he dissected he found several 
sand-eels. They are often seen to gambcl on the 
surface of the ocean, which is always looked upon 
as a sure sign of foul weather. They occasionally 
congregate in vast numbers. 
In the river St. Lawrence, in Canada, these ani- 
mals are very numerous; and, as they generally 
frequent the shoal water there, in search of prey* 
