Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VI.djvu/200

 192 DOLPHIN from 6 to 10 ft., and its proportions are admi- rably adapted for the speed which is its charac- teristic. It is dark on the back, grayish on the sides, and satiny white underneath. The Common Dolphin (Delphinua delphis). geographical range of this species embraces the seas of Europe, the Mediterranean, and the northern and temperate Atlantic ; other species are found in the seas of America, Asia, and Africa. Vessels frequently meet them in large numbers, shooting under the bows, spring- ing out of the water, and racing with their fellows; their speed is such that they easily outstrip the swiftest steamer. The dorsal fin is about 9 in. high, a little behind the middle of the back ; the pectorals, about 2 ft. from the snout, are somewhat longer than the dorsal, narrow and rounded; the tail is crescent- shaped, with a notch in the middle, and about a foot wide ; the jaws have from 32 to 47 teeth on each side, according to age, simple, conical, largest in the middle of the series. During rapid motion the tail is bent under the body, and then suddenly brought into a straight line. The dolphin lives principally upon fish, which it pursues even into the midst of the fishermen's nets. F. Cuvier thinks an examination of the habits of the dolphin will disclose a foundation in fact for the supposed intelligence of this Bottle-nosed Dolphin (l)elphinus tursio). species. In former times the flesh of the dol- phin was as much esteemed for food as it is now neglected; in the 10th century its price was so high that it was only seen on the tables of the rich ; in the time of Dr. Cains, founder of the college of that name at Cambridge, a dolphin was thought a worthy present for the duke of Norfolk, who in turn distributed it to his friends. In France the dolphin could be eaten during Lent without sin, all cetaceans being then considered fish. The meat is dark- colored, palatable and nutritious, and is now often eaten by seafaring men on long voyages. The D. tursio (Fabr.), the nesarnalc of the Greenlanders, has a thick body, a flattened, short beak, obtuse teeth, a dorsal fin, and a blackish color, except a small part of the abdo- men, which is whitish ; it attains a size of 9 to 15 ft., has from 88 to 100 teeth, and inhabits the Atlantic from the shores of Europe to those of Greenland ; it is less active than the com- mon dolphin. Another name for it is the bot- tle-nosed dolphin or whale. Other dolphins are the lead-colored (D. plumbeus, Dussumier), about 8 ft. long, of a leaden-gray color, rather sluggish in its movements, with about 136 teeth, found on the coast of Malabar, near the shore, where it pursues the pilchards; the bridled (D. frenatus, Duss.), less than 6 ft. "White Dolphin (Beluga borealis). long, having on the ash color of the cheeks a black band extending from the angle of the mouth below the eye, found in the neighbor- hood of Cape Verd ; the eye-browed (D. super- ciliosus, Lesson), about 4 ft. long, brilliant blackish blue above, silvery below, with a white streak over the eye, found in the neighborhood of Cape Horn ; thefunenas of the Chilians (D. lunatus, Less.), about 3 ft. long, with a slender beak, fawn-colored above, white below, with a dark brown cross on the back, in front of the dor- sal fin, numerous in Conception bay. Among the delphinidcB which would not be better de- scribed elsewhere is the genus delphinapterus of Lacepede, having no dorsal fin, and a slender transversely flattened beak, separated from the cranium by a deep furrow. Peron's dolphin (D. Peronii, Cuv.) is about 6 ft. long, elegant in form and proportions, of a deep bluish black above, with the snout, sides, pectorals, abdo- men, and part of the tail silvery white ; the teeth are about 39 on each side of each jaw; like the rest of the genus, it is found in 'high southern latitudes. The allied genus leluga