4 
INCIDENTS OF THE VOYAGE. 
phins, all the evening ; and even long after nightfall 
they were still in company, being plainly visible 
by the light of the moon. During this long time, I 
had many opportunities of observing them. They 
frequently protruded their heads from the surface ; 
and then, presently, the huge round hack, with a 
small dorsal far behind, was seen. In going along 
beside the ship, one would occasionally turn on its 
back, displaying the white belly, and in this position 
swim a short distance. The muzzle was lengthened 
into a snout, but, as well as I could judge from many 
exposures, it tapered gradually without a furrow, 
and resembled that of Delphinorhynchus. As nearly 
as I could estimate from a position aloft, by com- 
parison with the ship, their length was about thirty 
feet, or perhaps not quite so much. The body was 
elongated, black above, white beneath ; the swim- 
ming paws appeared white, even on their upper 
surface, but surrounded by dark colour on the body ; 
— this is remarkable. The lips and extremity of the 
muzzle appeared, when projected from the water, of 
a flesh colour. They usually expired with a rushing 
sound, the instant the blow-hole was exposed, but 
did not, as far as I observed, spout. Once, however, 
I noticed a little cloud of steam sailing away on the 
wind, from the spot where one had just disappeared ; 
it exactly resembled that appearance which succeeds 
the spouting of the common Rorqual (which I have 
seen many times), but as my eye did not catch the 
animal itself, I cannot positively say that such was its 
origin on this occasion. The evenings being cool 
