6 
INCIDENTS OF THE VOYAGE. 
celebrated specimen, this incongruity is of little 
moment, since that was evidently a young one. If 
this was, indeed, the Havre Whale, the occurrence in 
associated numbers of a species, hitherto known only 
by a solitary specimen, possesses an interest which will 
be readily appreciated by naturalists ; if, on the 
other hand, it was distinct, it is, perhaps, still more 
interesting, as it proves the existence of a gregarious 
Cetacean of large size in the Atlantic, which has 
hitherto escaped the observation of zoologists. The 
white hue of the flippers, isolated amidst the dark 
colour of the upper body, would seem to favour the 
latter conclusion. 
I may add here that when we were off the west 
end of Porto Rico, I observed a shoal of Dolphins 
playing at a short distance ; one of them in leaping 
fell ill a perpendicular position, the tail downward, 
while the body was thrown into a double curve. I 
was thus enabled to see that the belly was of a bright 
rose-colour. Now this is the hue of the under parts 
of the other DelphinorhyncJius (Z). rostratus), which 
is about eight feet in length, and might well be mis- 
taken, in the moment of leaping, for a true Delpliinus, 
The coincidence is a curious one : especially as this 
species is nearly as rare as the former. 
I had prepared a surface-net for towing after the 
ship in order to capture minute animals. It was 
thus made : — The towing line, a stout rope, was at- 
tached by a threefold bridle to a brass rod flve feet 
in length, one foot of which was bent up at a right 
angle at each end. The three sides formed by this 
wire kept open the mouth of the net, which was 
