Beluga Catodon, the Northern Beluga. It is the Cetus bipinnia of Brisson ; Ph peeler Catodon of Linnaeus ; Delphinia lettcas of Pallas ; Catodon Sibbaldii of Fleming ; the Beluga, Round-Headed Cachalot, Small Catodon, of English writers ; the White Whale, and White Fish, of whalers ; and the Albus P4cis Cetactus of Ray. It is known by its white colour. When young however it is black. It is an inha bitant of the North Sea, and has been taken in Scotland. We are informed by Mr. Whittle of the dockyard, Chatham, that one made its appearance in the waters of the Medway in the spring of 1846, advancing daily with the flow of the tide for a month as high as Rochester bridge. It was at last shot near Lipner Castle. It measured 13 feet 1 inch, and was all over of a most delicate primrose yellow colour. The dental formula was 10-10 8— 8 One of these dolphins haunted the Frith of Forth in the slimmer of 1815 for nearly three months, passing almost daily upwards, and again retiring with the flood and ebb. It was supposed to be in pursuit of salmon, and after many unsuccessful attempts the salmon-fishers killed it with firearms and spears. Mr. Bald of Alloa bought it, and sent it to Professor Jameson : it is now in the Edinburgh :Museum, and formed the subject of the interesting observations of Dr. Barclay and Mr. Neil in the Transactions of the Wernerian Society.' Mr. Neil remarks that the shape of this animal is very symmetrical, suggesting the idea of perfect adaptation to rapid progression in the water. " Its head," he observes, "is small and lengthened, and over the forehead there is a thick round cushion of flesh and fat : the body continues to swell as far as the large thick oval flippers, and from that point gradually diminishes to the setting on of the tail, which is powerful, and described as bent under the body in swimming, and propelling the animal with the velocity of an arrow." In the specimen examined by Mr. Neil the teeth were 6-0 The higher and arctic latitudes appear to be the chosen haunts of the Beluga. They abound in Hudson's Bay, Davis's Straits, and on parts of the southern coasts of Asia and America, where they ascend the large rivers. Steller noticed them at Kamtchatka • and in Charle vois time they were numerous in the Gulf of St.
x' Lawrence, going with the tide as high as Quebec. Disco Island in Greenland is said to abound with them, nor are they scarce at Spitzbergen. Scoresby did not see them lower than Jan Mayen's Land ; he seldom observed them among the ice, but where the water was clearest and smoothest. They are described as not at all shy, but often following the ships, tumbling about the boats in herds of forty or fifty, bespangling the surface with their brilliant whiteness. The whale-fisher seldom dis turbs these beautiful creatures, for they are not only difficult to strike on account of their activity, but when stricken the harpoon frequently draws, and if it holds the capture is but of little value. Sir Charles Giesecke speaks of their regular annual visits about November to the west coast of Greenland, where they become a seasonable supply to the natives when other provisions fall short. They arrive in herds with stormy weather and south-west winds, and are taken with har poons and strong nets. Cod, haddock, flounders, &e., are said to be the usual food of the Beluga.
The oil is reported to be of the best, whitest, and finest quality, and of their skins a sort of morocco leather is said to be made, which, though thin, will resist a musket-ball. The internal membranes are
used for windows and bed-curtains, and the sinews for thread. The flesh, it is asserted, resembles beef, though somewhat oily. Hans Egede describes both it and the fat as having no bad taste "when it is marinated with and salt ;" and says that it is then as well flavoured as any pork whatever. He declares the fins also and the tail "pickled or sauced" to be very good eating ; so that, according to Hans, "he is very good cheer." B. Kingii is the representative of the last species in the Southern Hemisphere. It has been taken off the coasts of Australia.
Neoineris Phoctenoidea is the name given by Dr. J. E. Gray to a species of Dolphin found in the Indian Ocean, the Delphinia rnelaa of Tommincle.
Phoccena commis, the Common Porpoise, or Porpesse. It is the Phocama Rondeletii of Willughby, Delphinia Phocana of Linnmus. It appears to be the giclocaiva of Aristotle (' 1Iist. Aniin.' vi. 12). Pennant supposes it to be the Turaio of Pliny (` Nat. Hist: ix. 9), which, according to the Roman naturalist, bears some likeness to the Dol phins, of which he relates so many anecdotes illustrative of their affection for man in the preceding chapter. It is the Porco Peace of the Italians (whence probably the English name Porpesse); Marsouin of the French ; Marsuin and Tumblare of the Swedes ; Meerschwein of the Germans ; and Llamhidydd of the ancient British. It is the most common of all the Cetacea on the British coasts. It is black all over.
The following is its dental formula :—Molars, to = 80 to 92.
40 to 46 Porpesses swim in shoals, and drive the mackerel, herrings, and salmon before them, pursuing them up the bays " with the same eagerness " says Pennant, "as a pack of dogs does a hare. In some places they almost darken the sea as they rise above water to take breath : they not only seek for prey near the surface, but often descend to tho bottom in search of sand-eels and sea-worms, which they root out of the sand with their noses, in the same manner as the hogs do in the field for their food." In fine weather they leap, roll, and tumble in the manner so well known, principally in the spring and summer, which is supposed to be their rutting season. They go up the rivers in pursuit of the salmon, to which they are a deadly enemy, and other fish ; and have been seen high in the Loire, Charente, and :'eine in France. It has been remarked that when the Porpettees are gambolling in the spring and summer, they appear heedless and blind to all danger and risk, which, as their brain in highly developed, etrengthena the supposition that they are at such times actuated by the sexual impulse to an extent that lessens their usual wariness. On the 23rd May, 1842, we saw about 10 a.m. two rolling and sporting a little above London Bridge, towards the Surrey shore. They seemed to disregard the steam-vessels which were constantly passing, and to pay no attention to the wherries, some of which went close to them. The man on the look-out in the steamer from whose deck we watched them said that they had been seen between five and six that morning near Southwark Bridge, and that one of them had been hooked with a boat-hook, but had got away. was blowing fresh from the south-west, and the tide was running up : the time for high water at London Bridge that day being 45 minutes after 12.