354 
KINGSTON HARBOUR. 
THE DOLPHIN. 
Herds of a species of Delphinus have been often 
observed in Kingston harbour. The first and the 
last time they came under my attention was at Pas- 
sage Fort; the last time was in the month of March, 
184^. Regularly about an hour before sun-down 
for a succession of days, a company of some eight or 
ten would be seen scudding from sea-ward close in- 
shore, and taking up a station at the mouth of the 
Rio Cobre, within the river current, where it rip- 
pled out, half salt and half fresh. The ground, to 
some distance off, rose into dry sand-bars, and no 
portion of the water thereabouts was more than just 
deep enough to permit the Dolphins to toss and 
tumble in. From the perfect revelry with which 
they sported up and down, it was obvious that some 
particular food attracted them to these waters. They 
coursed about like terriers hunting rats. I inquired 
of Mr. Kirkpatrick, who was thoroughly acquainted 
with all the wild nature hereabouts, both on land 
and in the water, and who was an excellent observer 
of the habits and instincts of animals, what he con- 
cluded drew these Dolphins to this strange locality ; 
he stated that the little fry at these freshets, were 
preyed upon by young Sharks from eight to eighteen 
inches in length, and that these young sharks had 
been found to he a favourite food with the Dolphin. 
The fishermen, he said, were so firmly fixed in this 
conviction, that, believing in their usefulness in thin- 
ning the number of sharks, they were extremely 
unwilling to molest them ; the consequence was that 
