PORPOISE, or PORPESSE, Phocwna, a genus of cetacea, of the family delphinidw, having a form similar to the dolphins, but the muzzle short, uniformly convex, and a beak; a dorsal lin; the teeth very numerous, simple, and equal. The COMMON PORPOISE (P. co»tmunis) is the most plentiful of the cetacea on the British coasts, abound ing particularly on the western coasts of Ireland and of Scotland. It is found also on all the coasts of Europe from the Mediterranean northward, on the coasts of North America, and in the Arctic regions. It is one of the smallest of the cetacea, its length sometimes not exceeding 4 ft., although individuals occur of 6 or even 8 ft. in length. The body is spindle-s:itiped; its greatest diameter is near the dorsal fin. The skin is perfectly smooth and destitute of hair. There are from 40 to 50 teeth in each jaw, not conical, as in most of the cetacea, but compressed. The eye is rather small, and the pupil in the form of a V. The opening of the ear is very minute, like a hole made with a pin. The blow-hole is crescent-shaped, with the horns of the.crescent directed forward, and is situated exactly over the eyes.
The porpoise is gregarious, and large numbers are often seen together, sometimes swimming in file, when their backs, appearing above the surface of the water, are apt to suggest the idea of a-great sea-serpent; sometimes gamboling, either in fine weather or when a storm is approaching, or even in the midst of a storm. The porpoise feeds on fish, which its teeth are admirably adapted to catch; and herds of porpoises pursue the vast shoals of herring, mackerel, etc., into bays and estuaries. The porpoise sometimes
ascends rivers, apparently in pursuit of salmon, as far as the water is brackish, and is not unfrequently itself caught ou such occasions. It is an object of pursuit on account of its skin, its oil. and its flesh. The skin is nearly an inch thick, but is planed down until it becomes translucent, and is made into excellent leather, which is used for cover ing carriages and for other purposes. Little use is made of it in Britain, but it is used in America. Under the skin is a layer of fat, about an inch in depth, which yields oil of the finest quality. The flesh is dark-colored and bloody, but was in former times highly esteemed, and reckoned fit for the table of royalty, perhaps partly because among Roman Catholics it was accounted fish. In the time of queen Elizabeth it was still used by the nobles of England, and was served up with bread-crumbs and vinegar. it is now used only in very northern regions. It is a chief dainty of the Greenlanders.—The grampus (q.v.) is commonly referred to this genus.—Another species of porpoise (P. capensis) is found near the cape of Good Hope.—The name porpoise is from the French pore-poisson, or the Italian parco-pesce (hog-fish, corresponding to the French 12/amain (sea-hog), and the German meerschwein.