The sun. [volume], November 29, 1891, Page 22, Image 22

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mitts v n- 'y" . " k" i
H? it .THkSyBUNDA'V. NOVEMBER 2. ' JB'1. , .
S Natural gHufonj.
,,,,,,
WHALES AND MERMAIDS.
XlIKXElMUtn OF TlIK.lXCIRXTGRKEna
I jrorr cooked von its oin.
I I Called the nutans, and It lias n Coasla
I ' Called the Hanatee-A Orolcen.heartad
I Nfermatd la teadon Still Another Sort
I mt Hei-mata That Wm exterminated by
1 Raicr Russian Hnllore-A.il the Yarle-
j ties of Whales-Roast PoroUe la HI.
in tory The flea TJnleorn, the Orauipa,
ij nad the Dolphin. Canon for Ite Djrtag.
In tho time o( Alexander tho Groat and after-
! ward, andcr tho Soloucldto, tlio analout Oroeks
j becamo acquainted with the northwostorn part
i, of India. Thoa and thoro thor heard many
ntranga tales, which. as usual (especially whon
'i two different raoas and languages aro con-
oernod). lost nothing by tho tolling. Among
t other things, thor hoard that tho teas abont
H Coylon wero pooplod with mormoHs. tn this
HJ ooso, as In tho ease of ao many other wondorfal
talos, thero was a certain amoont of truth
Pi underlying tho notion: for thoso seas
A mro pooplod by croaturos las bis as or blggor
,f than haman beings), which hnvo a habit of
M' raising themselves up vertically out of tho
I water, whon thor present a very startling ap-
1 ' poaranco to an unscientifically crltloal 070.
EJ Astonished travellers bohald holngi With
fl rounded. hannn-looklng hotds. showing their
L'J bodydiwntotho bust out of tho wator. dls-
Bi playing ft Pdlr of rounlsJ prominent broasts,
j;i and not sotdom holding a baby In their arms.
Aftor remilhtng tome tlmo in this nttltada,
I thor would suddonly dive and then n tall Ilko a
j fish's hoeams osposod to view. Small wonder,
thnn. that Bailors should tmtglno thoy wore
beholding creatures half woman and half ash,
for tha vivacity ot a sailor's Imagination Is
provorbtnL
Bultho creaturo thus seen is as different In
temper and habits from tho fablod mermaids
as It Is In body. Instead of soaking to Boduco
nnwar voyacors to visit Its home bonoath the
waves, in order thoro to devour them, tho
dugong (Tor that Is the namo of this fablod
mermaid) browses poacofully on soawaod. and
Is ns 1) armless as it Is curious.
THE DUOONa
It is a creaturo which, as ordinarily mot
- With. Is about night foot long. Only a faintly
marked nock Is visible between tho hoad and
tho trunk, whlah tapers gradually backward
Ito ond In a horizontally flattened tail. Unliko
tho soils and sea bears, tho dugong has no
traoo of any hind limb, but has only a pair of
short paddle-shaped foro limbs, tho flvo digits
of which are enclosed In a common fold of
akin, nnd nro not therefore visible oxtornally.
Thoy have no nails. Deep In the body of tho
animal are small bones whlah aro tha rudi
ments of that bony structure (callod tho polvls)
to which our thigh bonos nro articulated. But
. tlurnlsno rudlmont roprosonting tho thigh-
bono ltsolf .
1 Tho skin of the body Is vory thick, rough, and
almost naked, but with a tow hairs. Borne
3 liAtrs extend inside tho ohoek and thoro aro
5 f-trny yellow bristles on tho lips. Tho oyos aro
k- Hinall, thoro are no extomil oars and tho noa
r trill cn bo closed, having each a valvular ox
i torn-il aperture.
Wo Invo mat with. Inltho ottors. animals spo
, eially orginlzjd for an nquatlollfo. aadlntlio
110.1 boirs ond especially In tho seals, croaturos
yot m ire exclusively so constructed, since the
last-named animals can progress on land only
$ with awkwardness and difficulty. Still all
f these boasts can bo progress, either In quad-
$ rupedal fashfon as do ottors and sea bears or
i by cinvulslvo bodily contortions, as do tho
. Bonis. But in the dugong. for tho Orst time tin
I our survey ot dltToront forms of llfo) wo
cimo ti)an n crenturo absolutoly aquatia
i finJ qultn unable to Ilvo on land. Indeed not
i only iloas it remain ofl-at but it evon avoids
j vary shallow water, partly on account of Its
6 torrjstrlal holplossness nnd partly on account
1, of Itri soawocd diet
fj It Is found in the Bod 80a. off tho oast ooast
1. of Africa, near Ceylon. In the Islands ot the
y ltay of DengaL und the Indian Archipelago.
incl:tJlng tho Philippine Islands, and on tho
north of Australia. Thus it may bo said to ran go
I the Indian Oconu and a portion of tho PaolQa.
-i In A 11 it ml In tho dugoug Is niw regularly
J! " fUned " on itcoount of its oil. which Is peoal-
lirly cloar. limpid, and froe from any dlsa-
f greoablo odor, nnd Is said to havo tho same
ealatary quslltlos as ood liver oil. It H a
. slow. Inactive, mild, and lnoffansivo animal,
u ineopablo of solf-defonoo. and apparently
f destlnod oro long to booimo oxtlnctond dlsap-
. pear, as wo shall soe shortly that ono of its
4 Boar relations has already done.
V " !p'" ' ""
4 THS MAVAX2K,
ft Dsforo passing (o t le noarjst surviving spo-
des. a word or twi must bo Bald as to its
teeth and tho structure ot its palate. In the
y first pines, the mute dugong possosses a pair
of law nearly Btralght tuiks. which project
I downward to a short dlstitnco beyond tho
I mouth. Thoy miy romliid tho reader ot tha
I tasks of tho walrus, but thoy are shortor and
f ot adilfjruat ntturo. tor thoy aro nofoan
r luos,"but"inolaora;" that Is to say. thoy do
r not answer to our "oyo tooth," but totwoot
' our"uppor outtlng tooth." which aro plaood
t between our oyo tooth. The creature has
i aomo grinding tooth, but what Is most curious
5 Is tho prosenoe of a largo, rough, bony plato
whlah elothos tho front part of the palate.
and another slmllir plate which rubs against
'4 tho forraor nnd clothes tho front of
j tho lowor jaw. Tho roader may por
) haps recolloct that In rnmlnants thoro Is a
malt horny pad at tho front of tho uppor Jaw.
1 against which the tooth ot the lowor jaw bite,
t This pad. howovur. Is only n more rudiment of
1$ that we moet with In the dugong. Hut, in our
survoy of tho croaturos troatod in this article.
q we shall shortly find a vory muoh exaggerated
4 Btructuro of n moro or loss similar kind.
if Thoraanatoo Is another. "mermaid." nnd a
',' cousin ot tho dugong. which It closely re-
',.. Bemblos In general form. It Is a denlron of
;' Amarloa and ovon ot tho Unltod States, as It Is
found tn Florida ns wall as In some otthe West
i Indian Islands nod In South America to 20'
oath latitude. Itnsoends high up In tho rlv.
, ara ot Drazll, and Is found on the wost coast ot
; tropleil Africa nnd also in Its rivers, ovon as
r. far into the interior as Lako Tohad.
j. Its length ibes not appoar to exceed eight
l feet It has. Ilko tho dugong, bony plates In
ijp the front of Its jaws, but differs froit the last-
V named animal tn having no tusks, though It
lihsnioro grinding toetli. In the young thoro
nro rudimentary teeth ooncoalod bouuath the
j, horny plates. As thoy novor ponotrato those
.; platos thoy must bo usbloss, nnd thoy quite
h disappear boforo tho animal Is ndult Tho
' inanatoo has a vory iio-ullav tipper Up whloli
I - lias a median division, on each Hlilo ot which
" is a tatoral lobo or p.vl. Thnsop.tdtcnnoitlioi'
$ i borartvodftpartorbobrughtclosolytogalher,
J" . nnd thus tho animal can gra(4) its fo-)d. When
' Hbout to fOQd it wJIJ flat sepsrat? tho two
lateral lobes and then oloso them upon tho
branch or leaf it Is going to feed an, afterward
bending book tho wholo Up bo as to Introduce
tha food thus selrod into ite mouth without
nny neod of employing the lowor Up for tills
purpose.
Sueh readers as have road my artlclo on
tho sloth may rocolloot our statement that tho
number of bones tn tho nook of nearly alt
boosts Is. as also In man, seven. Buoh Is also
tho caso In tho dugong. but In the inanatoo
though Its nook is no shorter thore aro but
six such bonofl.
Tho namo "raanateo" Booms to havo been
given originally to this animal by some of tho
first Spanish settlors In tho Wost Indies, on
account of tho strangoly froe and hand-llko
uso It can mako of Its paddlo-Uks foro limbs.
It uses them tor bringing food toward its
mouth, nnd oin bond tho wrist and elbow, as
weU as tho shouldor joint Thoro ore gonoraUy
also mora or loss rudlmontary noils on tho
Ongors.
Tho manatoo dlifora In habits from tho du
gong In that It froquonts rlvors, estuaries, ond
lagoons, proforring shallow water and qulto
eschewing tho opon boo. It foods rxoluslvoly
on oquatlo plants, on which it brawsos under
wator, and is extromoly slow tn lbs movements
andlnaotivo. It has a small and simply formed
brain. It Is barmtossand porfoctly Inoffensive.
In doop water It often floats with Its body
much arohod. its head and tall hanging down
ward. In shallow water It will rapport Itself
on the ond of Its tail or will crawl about, only
applying tho tips of its paddles to the ground.
Manatees never voluntarily quit the wator.
not only on account of their being so extremely
unsuited for progression on land, but also be
cause, on account of tho stniotura of their
bodlo, thoy cannot thm hrnatho at thslr oa90
In 1H78 a fully grown female was caught In
British Guiana, where thuy now seem to bo
Xnttlng vory scarce. On tho voyage aorois tho
tlantlc it was kept In alargo box two-thirds
tilled with fresh wator. This was plaood near
tho donkey engine, so that steam oonld
every now and tnen bo passed Into the wator
to maintain the temperature of the latter at a
steaily warmth in col ler latitudes. Having ar
rlvodnt urnenock. It was oonveyod to London
by rail, warm water being occasionally poured
Into Its tank on the journey. During the night
tho manatee frequently raised Itself and tried
to get out ot Its box. After Its arrival at tho
W.istmlnster Aquarium it was nearly a
week before It would feed. Its owners,
alarmed for tta lite, then fed It by
force. The wator of Its tank was dralAod off
and throe porsons entering It Inserted a oork
In tho foremrl ef the mouth, whoreuoon some
milk was Injected by a syringe. The manatee,
though ordinarily exceedingly qutot and gon
tlolnlta demeanor, evidently objected muoh
to tho proceeding, and. though obliged to
swaUow some, reieotod what It could, uilng ao
Siuoh foroo that it was all tho three men oould
n to restrain It But neither then nor at any
other time did It utter a sound, nor attempt to
filto or In any other way Injure Its assailants,
hough floundering, wriggling, and struggling
with nil its might Thenceforward it fed
spontaneously on tho green fued given
It which floated In the water of tho
tank. It favorite food was lettuco.
but It would also eat cabbago and water
cross, and altogether consumed from IK)
to 112 pounds of green food (daily. Its tank
?as kopt at a tomperaturo or from 70 to 74
ahrenheltand for six months all went well.
But unfortunately, about Christmas, during
very oold weathor, its keener accidentally al
lowed the stater ono night to drain away, so
that It was left dry in n oold atmodphero.
Nxt morning, after being freshly supplied
with water, it appeared 111. It refused food,
and became thinner and thinner, till It died
from exhaustion on the loth of Maroh. 1870.
Its uniform quiet stolidity and stupidity
seam to aharaerlEO It In Its natlvo trnunU as
well us In captivity. The Aquarium specimen
was nocturnal In Its habits, foedlng by night
Ihirlng the greater part of the day it dozed In
various attitudes, evory now and tbon rising
lazily, and apparently without the slightest
effort to the surface to breotbo: or occasion
ally it made a move round tho tank In a quiet
unconcerned manner. Then It wonld poke lte
noee close up to tho glass, remaining station
ary there for a time without showing either
fear of or interest in the numerous spectators
froquentlng tho Aquarium.
CTCg&XIJkSD WHALE.
A flno. robust voung male arrivod nt Liver
pool from Trinidad in ttoptember of thosamo
yoar. and was purchased for the aquarium at
Brighton, where it was kept with a yotmg
female which was obtained a fow months
previously. They are said to have recognized
tho r.ilcq of their keopnr. and seomed to enjoy
having tholr books brushed by him. Itisro
portou i") that they habitually assamed a hori
zontal position, tho body, when resting on the
ground, being supported by the under surface
of tho tall tin. and It may be that the post nro
assumed by the Westminster spooimon was
duo to one ot tta paddles having been Injured.
Thuy eat by proferenoo lettuoes and endives,
and those were always swallow ander water,
nnd they never oat when removed from it
Ljough food wa ropoatedly thon offered thorn.
When out of the water they seem oppressed
with their own bulk, and oould only progress a
few inches by moans of pressing their Jaws
anil tall fin closely to tho ground, and making
violent lateral off irts of tho body aligutly sup
ported by the paddlos.
Tun main duvjured his food more rapidly
than tho female, aud thus obtained an undue
share, so that it was thought advisable to s jp
aruto them at feeding tlmo. For tills purpose
a wooden partition, lilting Into a groove In tho
floor und fastened by upright supports, was
occasionally let down Into the tank, nrojoc ting
n fow luchos abovo tho surfaoooftho water.
The foraalo took no notice ot this alteration,
but invariably waited before commencing to
feed until hor mate was supplied on Ills sldo
with a portion. Tho necessity for the separa
tion soon became apparent: for tho tnalo
cloftrod up evory Horap of food long botore the
female, u moro dainty and duato leodor. had
finished. Ho thon becurue very roitivo. swim
ming natively around his straitened qonrtorr,
prossod his nose against the partition, rollod
ovor on Ills back, and oxerted considerable
foroo In his obstinate and repeated attempts
to remove the obnoxious obstacle. Failing In
his endeavors to push It on ono sldo. ho noxt
trlodto get over It lifted his head abovo tho
water, fooling tho edge of the partition with
his fore paddlos uni raising them till thoy
were almost luval with the projiiutlnc odgo.
In tho spring of tho year 138atSa fomalo
monateo died, after soveral moatha' exist
once tn tho Aquarium. The history of tho male
inthu subsequent interval may be onltonitHod
In tho words "Uo fctlil and grow fat" Ho
evinced no grief at the loss ot nl3 oompanion.
, Tho ditgoiig and tlio manatee are tliuonly
two mermaid kinds now existing on tho sur
face ot this planet But a littlu wore than a
hundred and twenty years ago thoro was a
third kind, much largor thanclthorof tho ex
isting ones, as it ultulned a length ot from
twenty to twenty-four foot. It was tho
rhytlna, and. Its destruction lsonoot tho tow
well attested examples of tho extirpation of a
species altogether, by humunugenay. Whon
tint found it abounded, but very soon tt en
tirely dUappaarod
, Eastern Blborln was not known to Europoans
before the sovonteonth oontury, but in tho
latter part of It that region cume Into tho nos-
!eBslon of Itussla, after which it was visited tiy
luntors and noopiod by oinlgruutrt, who
muted the fur-uearlug animals tucro.
In 1718 Peter the Great sent a Htioulnl mis
sion to explore tho cltuln of tho Kurlio Islands,
nnd n little 1 later. In 1727-211. another expedi
tion hot nut under llohrlng thoroughly to ox
ploro Knmtschatka. Behrlng rufurnod and
made his report, but no sueh animal as tho
rhytlna is mentioned In It 8omo years later.
In 1740. Behrlng visited KamUohatta again
nnd spent the, winter there, having with Mm
the romarkablo and onorcotla naturalist Htel
ler.. too early lost to science. Nevertheless
they did not find the rhytlna and no ono elso
has over found It there, thottgh large rowards
have been otlqrod for Its (Uscovory In that
country. In 1741. howovor. Behrlng wontngaln
to tho eastern shoro of Asia, when ho lilted
nut two ships. In one of which cortnln
indlyldiinls 0111 barked. Behrlng nndWelln. bo
Ingot the company. They thon crossed tho
North Pacllte. and having (tor the sake ot a re-
nrirp-BicjorD nuix.
ward) stopped a few liours on the American
oonht. sought to return its quickly as possible.
Thoy were, howovor. wroeked on a little Island
ft no orent dlstnnco from the const of
Knmtsclmtka, now known as Behrlng Island.
Thoto Htolios mot ..with this unlmal
nftenyaril named rhytlua by tho natural
ist Illlgor. Htollec who was on tho lookout for
Amur can things, took, the nnlmal to bo that
American mermaid, tho manatee, Probnbly
bocauso of this and pn nncount of the onnrmous
miiltltudn of Individuals met wlth-porhaps
also for lack nfsnaco-ho took no part of tho
nnlmal hank with him. But he found that tho
creaturo h flush was vory good to cat. nnd ho
reooinniniided traders to use It for pnilon.
This advice was only too readily nnd persovor
Insly (ipmpllod with, for in twenty-seven, years
from that date not 11 slpelo living rhytlna ro
innlned. tho last being kUlod in 170H. so fur as
Ritvcvititln Intorrantlon hasheim obtninod. it
fppoars never to havo Inhabited tho Aleutian
sles, nor America, nor Knmtschatka. nor the
Kurlio Islands, but when, first dlscpvorod
was oxtremely numornus at Behrlng Island,
finding abundant, food in tlio large eoaweods
which float about tho ooast But Its habits and
disposition easily account for Its rapid de
struction. Like the manatee, tho rhvtlna was
vory voracious, but It only fod In shallow water
nnd had very froquonlly to come to tho surface
to breathe. It was also oxcoodlngly, stupid
and dull of sight ond hearing, but perhaps its
affoctlonnto foellngs worn ovon moro fatal to
It for If either a male or fomalo woro harpoon
(id Its mate rnmalnod bosldo it and mado ond
loss stupid offorte to relievo It
Hooomplotelydostroyed was.lt that people
becamo skoutloal ns to Its over having existed.
But Brandt found In tho Museum of Ht. Peters
burg a horny plate whloh exactly rescmblod
that which had boon figured by Htollez (and It
was tho only thing ho had flgtirod) In. his .ac
count of tho nnlmaL Tho discovory of this
plate thus served to provo both tho truth of
Htolloz's narrative and Its own, previously un
known, nituro. Afterward nn Imporfoot skull
was found at Behrlng Island, then throo nearly
ooinplote skelotons wero dlscovorod. and re
cently yet othor bonos havo boon extracted
from tho frozen soil.
J!-tuy.S3 fit
njLson-DACK wnixr.
In form tt resomblod tho dugong and mana
too, but Its hoad was relatively smaller and It
had no teeth whatever, only a bony plato In
each jaw. It had a thick, rugged, nakod skin,
though thero woro brush-llko hairs on tho
paddlos. It was of a dsrk-brown color, somo
tlmos spotted or stroakod With whlto.
Tho oxtineUon of this animal may remind
such of our rendors as havo road my artl
clo on the turkoy. of tho oxtirnatlon of tho do
do. That bird had. Ilko tho rhytlna, no means
ot escape or dofonfee, was good eating, nnd
was entlroly confined to n minute and roraoto
part of tho earth's surfaoo. ,. .
But how eamo the rhvtlna to dwoll In such a
tiny, out of tho way spot and whoro did mer
maids como from nnd what may havo been
tholr ancestors? That tholr anoostors woro
qnadrupods and wero onoo wldoly distributed
?vertho earth's surfaoo thore can bo no doubt
ntho mlddlo and later tertiary tlraos mer
Eitlds ot different kinds abounded In tho
uropoan seas and swam about on the English
const whoro now is Suffolk. Thoy woro more
or loss Ilko the dugong. but though somn ot
them wore largor. tholr tusks woro smaller.
Tholr tynloal form has boon named Jlalllht
rium. and the most romarkablo thing about It
la fhA fnff Mint. If hnrlnnnlr nt amn.il thlirh
bones, though thero could havo boon no
external appenranco of hind limbs any more
than In tho throo previously doscrlbod mer
maids. Tho naturalist Itllger, who gavo the
rhytlna its name, called tho small group I
have spokon of as mormnlds by tho namo
of Sirens, and tho group (ordor) is now
known by naturalists by tho term Slrenla.
The modo and sourea of tholr evolution aro
still groat unsolved probloins, but thoro aro
not wanting Indications that they may be col
lateral descendants of elephants and fiiuo
tbma. If eo. thoy can put In some claim to
rank as odd-tood Ungulates, absurd and para
doxical as It may seom to reckon among
odd-tood hoofod boasts oroaturos which havo
not only no " hoofs." but no "toes" oltliorl
i "-.. ''.
srenu while, ou cacnsLor.
But If wo cannot positively say what aro tho
noarost relatives of the mermaids our prede
cessors reckonod thara as belonging to tho
group of whales nnd porpoises au ordor
lormod by naturalists Uetacea. Our mor
mnlds" woro formerly spoken of as tho
" Herbivorous Cetacoa " to distinguish them
from the croaturos belonging to tho othor di
vision ot the order (tho whales and porpolsos).
all of which llvo on animal food.
To tho consideration of thoso latter, whloh
aro tho only true Cetocna, wo will now turn.
They offor a most wondorful oxaraplo of tho
puzzling nnd often misleading ffects which
oxtornnl conditions can soraotlmos bring
about nnd are a notablo warning how neces
sary it ts when wo seek to find out the nfunltlo i
of tho different animals not to roly much upon
oxteYnal characters when thoBe aro closely ro
lated to their mode of life. Whales and por
polsuK woro longponsldorod. Tory naturally, to
bo "flshos." and wore clasnod among thorn
even by the great naturalist Bay. Tholr
gnnoral form of body, which is spin'
die shapod. with no sign of a nock
botwoen the head nnd tho trunk, while poste
riorly It tapers gradually to and ends in an ex
pundod tell fin is vory llsh-llke, whllo thoir
single pair of paddles are muoh moro liko tins
than aro those of the dugong nnd manatoo.
Nevertheless In all essontlnls whalos and por
polsos nro true "beasts." Thoy possess all
the characteristics of that cIsbs. und nro both
warm blooded and sucklo tholr young. Not
only ts a whale much more liko a bat or a
squirrel than it is ltkoaflsh. but In many re
spects thero is mucli moro difference Dotween
a llsh and a whale than thoro is botwoen a
whalo and a humming bird.
But whales and porpolsos form a group or
ordor of animals whloh 1b exceedingly well de
flnod and distinct from evory othor order of
mammals. Of all beasts they are tho most
completely nnd exclusively organized for
aquatlo life, being porfoctly helpless on land,
moro bo than ovon tho dugong and manatoo.
and out ot all comparison, moro so thansoala
or otters. On tile othor hand no boasts aro so
perfoctly at homo In tho opon ocean, whoro tho
majority ot spoclos constantly disport thorn
selves, though n few nro Inhabitants of rivers.
Tho trito or Greenland whalo H ono ot tho
largest animals which now Uros, or, so far ns
wo yot know, ever has lived, bolng Irom forty
flvn to fifty lectin luncth. Moro than one-third
of this Is occupied ly its enormous hand, tho
vast size of which is duo to tlio great jaws
which oncloso what ono mluhtcall nnimuiunso
cavern fit for tho tonguo nnd quantity of horny
plates tlio so-callod "whalobnno" which oc
cupy It The uppor jaw is vory narrow from
sldo to side, but much arched from boforo
backward, whllo tho lowor jaw Is greatly
arched outward on olthor side. Tho upper lip
is rudlmontary. but It Is mot by a prodigious
lower Up which stands up stiffly with a vory
convex margin from beforo backwaids. Just
behind tho mouth is the small oyo. oloso bo
hind which again Is tlio scarooly porooptlblo
opening of tho oar. Tho nose opons near
tho summit of tho head by two cro
scontlo aperturos which can bo opened or
closod nt wilt A little boalnd and bolow
tho eye tlio forellmb or paddlo juts
out This hus no power ot motion except at
BOTTLE-NOSED WHALE.
tho shoulder joint, although Insldo It aro
bono roprosonting thoo of tho uppor nnd
foroatm and, of the llvo fingers of man and
othor pmitndaetylo boasts. But wherous in
man and nil such boasts tho nunibor of bones
In every ilngor noor excouds throo. hero thoro
nro live In what represents tho mlddlo finger
and four in tho skoletenof tho digit on either
sldonfit At tho hinder ond of tho body Is a
tall fin in tho form or two lateral pointed ex
pansions of skin, supported by a dense llhrous
flubstaueo., within. .Though no truco ot nny
posterior limb Is visible oxtornally, thoro is.
deep In tho Interior of tho animal, a bono
only about olght Inches lung, which proba
bly represents tho thigh poue und boars
at its extremity a small spicule which
niay bo regarded as a rudiment of tho shin
bono. Tho former of these two bonos isut
tached to a rudimentary representation of tho
polvls. which oxlsts horo as well as In tho
mermaids. Although tho nock Is ho short as
to bo imporcontiblo externally, thoro aro the
usual sevon bonos In tt, though they nil bo
oomo united Into ono mass, or all of them save
the seventh. Tho surface of tho skin is smooth
and glistening, nnd quite devoid of hair, but
!ho body Is kopt warm by means of a thick
(tyorof fat-tho so-called "blubber" which
les immediately beneath tho skin. Inside
tho enormous mouth thoro is 011 either side
a series of long, flattened, horny plates (the
whalebone), which grow nnd hang down from
too roof of the mouth. They thus form two
longitudinal series, eao h plato of which Is
placed transversely to tho long axis of the
whale's body, and all are very eloso together.
Tho outer, edges of tho plates aro solid and
nearly straight, butthelr Inner edgos incline
outward, onch plate beeimlng narrower as it
extends downward. These- oblique Inner
edges are also furnished with numerous
conrso. halr-llko processes, consisting of some
or thp constituent1 fibres of tho horny plates,
which, as it were, fray out, and tho mouth
is thus lined, except bolow, by a network
of countless (lores projecting from the
Innor edges of tho two sorles of plates,
nils notwork nets , as. & sort of sieve.
hen the whalo foods It takes Into Its mouth a
KrHatguIpof wutor. which It drives out again
with its tongue through tho Intervals of tho
horny platen of baleon. tho fluid thus trovere
Ing the bloo of horny fibres whloh retains tho
small creatures shrimp-likn creatures and
mollusks on which, thoso marine monsters
subsist. Water in tho mouth Is no Impedi
ment to tho whale's breathing, as tho uppor
part nf Its wlndnliio (tha larynx) passes up Into
nnd Is enclosed by tho back part of tho nos
trlF. ami thus, no wator t.in pass Into the
windplpo from tho mouth. The longest of theso
plates attains a length ot 10 or 12 feet und
thtiroaresQine Won cither side, thq sorles
' -
consisting, of oourso. of short pistes at each
ond, the longost bolng in the mlddlo of either
series. Thoy nro Bolongthatwhon tho mouth IB
shut they Uo bnckalongltsfloor.thelrelasttoit
Ftrnlghtenlng thorn whon the mouth tsopenod.
It Is to theso horny plates that I referred
when. In. describing the dugong, I said that
we should later moet with n vory exaggerated
structure, somewhat similar to the palate
Plato ot that animal. Tho adult whnlebono
whales nro entirely dovold ot teeth, though be
fore birth many mlnttto calcined teeth, nro
formed tn oaoh jaw. But theso aro entirely
hbsorbed and dlsapnoM boforo birth. Thp
brain Is four or llvo Umos aB masslvo a that
of any oUtor animal.'. ... ..
3to.i ..Orpontand whalo, U known , tho
"right" whalo bocauso it ts tho right kind for
ho. flshormon who seek Its whatobono and
dubbcr. It ranges round tho north pole, nnd
found on both sides ot Qroonland and off the
ooast of Labrador. In Bohrlng Boa and the
Boa of. Okhotsk tta southern limit seems to bo
latitude 84. It is possible but vory Improb
able, that a stragglor may havo roachod tho
British coast . .
..Muoh has boon mistakenly said about the
"blowing" nnd " spouting'' of whalos. nnd
other cetaceans. They do not really sond out
water from their nostrils, but only their bronth
when, they breathe. They do not of eourso.
breathe mpldly as do land animals, since thoy
requite to oomo to the surface to do eo.
This Is tho reason why tho tall Is expanded horl
rontally In whalos and mormnlds. That shapo
helps them thus to rise by striking with tho
tall, whllo fishes, which do not neod thus, to
rise, havo the tall tin expanded vertically.
When cetaceans rise to breathe they forcibly
expel a groat volume of warm, moist air from
their lungs. This ordinarily takes plaoolnn
cold atmosphere, nnd always doosso In tho
Greenland whalo. whleh Is nover.far from too.
Tho column of warm moist olr thus becomes
immediately transformed into a eloud of
minute partlotos of water. Besides this, when
they "Bpout" boforo qulto reaching thosur
faco they may also ralso up n jet ot water,
which tholr act of oxplratlon displaces and
casts upward.
Although n "right" whnlo never visits, nnd
firobably never did visit tho tomperato part of
he Atlantlo. thero is a southern kind with a
shorter head and less baleen vhloh Is found
tn tho tomperato seas of both tho northorn and
tho southern hemispheres and presents four
varlotles. often reckoned as spoclos. Ono
of theso varieties inhabited tho North Atlantlo
and no doubt was often soen. In early days,
"spouting" as tt traversed the otralte of Do
ver, Four or five hundred years ago It was
exceedingly common, and In tho mlddlo ngos
was keenly pursuod by tho Basques. From bo
foro tho Norman oonquost till tho period of tho
Reformation, oil nnd whalebono werosentovor
Europe from Bayonno nnd San Hobasttan and
from othor places botwoen thoso cities. As
they got scarco tho Greenland whale wan met
with in seeking a northwest passage to India,
and has since become tho Croat object of pur
suit mill, tho Southorn kind has visited tho
Hnnnlsh coast nn Into an 1878. while in tho
provlous yoar ono came to southern Italy, It
may now also bo soen occasionally in Now
York harbor, tho Delaware lllver. and tho
coast ot Maryland.
THE KABWQAL.
A whaleknown as tlio " humpback." so callod
ccoauso It possosses n dorsal tin (which tho
right whales do not) of a low hump-Uko form,
ranges tho Atlantlo from Greenland and Nor
way, and sometimes makos its appearance on
tho constant tho British Islos. lis length Is
from 45 to 05 feet nnd tho fomalo Is tho largor.
Its most remarkable character fa tho groat
length of its fln-liko arms, and tt dlfforB also
from the truo whales in having numerous long
grooves, or folds, extending beneath the throat
Certain whalea, as rorquals, finbacks, or
razor-backs, havo still more numerous folds
bonoath tho throat: thoy havo also a dorsal
tin, hut only four lingers Aro enclosed In tholr
relatively short limb Theso nro tho com
monest kinds of whales, and some of their va
rieties aro to bo found all over the world ex
cept in extreme polar regions. Tho common
rorqual In the largest animal known, attaining
sometlmos a length of 70 foot It foods on
fishes and largely on herrings, butothervarlo
ties feed exclusively on shrimp-llko creatures.
Tho'rorqunls have much shorter whalobono
and muah loss blubber than have the right
whales, so that thoy woro llttlo cared tor tillot
late, when on account of tho Increasing rarity
ot tho moro valunblo species, rorquals havo
begun to tie regularly llshod. The gray ror
qual frequents tho western shores of the
United States from Deoombor to March ond
tho females enter the Inqoons of Lower Cali
fornia to brine forth tholr young. In Ootobor
nnd Novembor thoy skirt tho coasts of Califor
nia nnd Orocron frnlnir KOllthwnrri.
Tho toothed whales aro far more numerous
In species thnn nro tho whalobono whales.
Thoy ought rathurto bo called "whalobono
loss" thnn toothed, ns n fow kinds havo no
teoth. whllo 0. wholo soctlon of tho group Is
without nny tooth in the upper jaw. aud thoro
may bo but a pair In tho lower jaw.
Tho sperm whale, or cachplot. Is tho slant ot
tho group, attaining a length of from G5 to 00
foot One-third of this total length Is ocoupiod
by tho hoad. which, seen In prollle, has a rec
tangular anterior ond. being truncated verti
cally In front Unlike tho right whales, tho
lower jaw is small (without nny promlnont up
wardly projecting Up) and set with numorous
simply coniaal tooth, and docs net extend so
far forward as tho muzzle. The bones which
support the immense uppor jaw. do
not by any moans correspond with
it in shapo for the uppor surfaco ot
THE BEI.Uai, OK WHITE WHALE.
tho skull is much lowor and concave. Tho
great mass of tlio uppor jaw consists only of
about a ton of un oily substance which yields
" sporraacotl." whllo the blubbor, which every
where copiously clothes tho body. Is tho source
of what we know us "sperm oil." Tho sub
stenco known ns "ambergris" by porfumors
is also a product of this animal, bolng a con
cretion formed In Its Intestlnos. Tlio nostrils
havo but a slnglo cxtosnul aporturo which
opens close to the front ond of tho top ot
tho snout, a llttlo to tho loft sldo,
and so tho onimpl "spout" forward
nnd ovor to ono side. Borne onosldodness and
want of Bymmotry aro also to bo found In tho
bones of tho skull In this animal nnd. moro or
loss, in all toothed whalos, Tho nasal pas
sugo from the roof of tho mouth to the ex
ternal aperture, or"Bplraelo,"may bo twenty
ieei in longtn. 'inn general coior is oiacx, out
tho belly Is gray. Tho sperm whnlo Is a very
widoly dilTusod animal In all tho warmer seas,
whero it may oftou be scon swimming with its
Bnout rnlBoif above tho surfaco of tho water, a
fact probably duo to its beiug mitdo
buoyant by tho immense mnss of rat it
contains. When startled It will often as
sume a perpendicular posture, with half tho
body out of tho it liter, to look and listen. Whllo
the animal Is nllvo this rut Is fluid, and whon
tho whnlo Is killed a hole Is mado In tho outer
nnd uppor pnrt of tho head, and tho liquid
baled nut with buckets, it solidifies on cool
ing, and bolng aftorttuidrellned, assumes that
beautifully white crystallized nppcarnnce
which spermaceti presents. Tho cncholot
feeds mainly on cuttlefishes, but also oats truo
flshos, ovon of considerable hIko.
Tho bottlo-nosed whale, or hyperoOdon, Is a
curious form which has only two tooth In
tho front of tho lower jaw. aud thoso nro con
cealed In tho gum. It agrees with tho Bperm
whalo In carrying a largo quantity of sperma
ceti, yielding oil in the upper part of Its hoad.
and blubber-producing sperm ell. It attains 11
longth of thirty feet, though females do not
oxoaod twenty-tour root. Capt Gray tolls
us that (t) theso whales are occa
sionally mot with Immediately after leaving
tho Shetland Islos In March, and across tho
ocean until the Ice Is reached, noar the margin
of which thoy nro found in the greatest num
bers: but thoyare seldom soon among it Thoy
ore also to bo met with from tho entrance of
Hudson's Straits and up Davis's Htralte ns far
ns 70" north latitude, and down thp east sldo
round Capo Farewell, oil round Iceland,
north along the Greenland ico to 77 north
latitude, and nlno to 10 cast longitude
Irom the fact that they nro not seen tn sum
mer further south than n day's sail from tho
THE OBtSfcS.
tee. , it would appear that they migrate
south In the autumn, and noith again in
tho , spring. They nro gregarious In their
habits, going in herds of from four to ten. It
is rrtro to see moro than tho Inttprnumborto
gethor, although mnny dltToront herds oro fre
quently In sight nt tho Ha mo tlmo. Tho adult
mnlos vory often go by themselves, hut young
bulls, cows, and calvos, with an old male as a
loader, aro sometimes seen together. They
oro vory unsuspicious, coining close alongside
tho ship, round about nnd underneath tho
boats, until their curiosity Is Hittlsllcd. Tho
herd never leaves a wounded companion so
longuslt is nllvo, but they desert it immedi
ately whon dead, und ir another can bo bar
poonod boforo tho previous struck one Is killed
mon often capture a wholo hord, frequently
taking ton. nnd on ono oocaslon flfteon. bo
foro tho hold on them wao lost Thoy
come from overy point or tho compass toward
tho struck oqo in (he most mysterious manner,
They have great onduranoc. nnd are very dim
cult to kill, seldom taking lost than from throe
to four hundred fathoms ot line, and stray
full-grown males will run out Bovonhondrod
fathoms,, romatntng undor water for tho long
period of two. hours, oomlng to tho surfaco
again as fresh as It thoy had Mover been away;
ana If they nro rellovcdof tho wolcht by the
linos bolng hauled In off thorn boforo thoy re
col vo a second harpoon, and a we) l-placod lanoo
or two. It Often tnkos hours to kill (horn. Thoy
never die without a hard struggle, lashing tho
sea white nbout them, leaping out of tlio water,
striking tho boats with tholr talis, running
ngnlnst them with their heads and sometimes
staving tho planks tn,. nnd. frequently tow
ing two heavy whateboata about after
thorn with groat rapidity. Tho young aro
black, tho old. llghtbrown. and tho vory
old almost yellow, Tho. jaws, tront of tho
hoad. and a band round tho nook, whlto:
tho bolly grayish white. Their tails aro
not notched tn.tho epntro ns are thoso of
most othor whalos. They can leap many foot
out of tho water, ovon. having tlmo wnilo In
tho olr to turn .round tholr heads and look
nbout them, taking tho water hood first and
not falling holplessly. Into. It sideways. Ilko
thp larger whales. A full-grown npeolrnon
will, yield two tons of oil, bosldes two hun
dredweight of epprmacott. Thpy llvo on
onttleflshos. Certain allied spoclos form n
small croup characterized by having o con
siderable slzod tooth on either side of tho
lower jaw. Ono of thoso. named after Mr. Lay
ard. has a pair whloh. as ago advnnaos, bcepmo
vory long, narrow, flat curved teoth, Ilko a
palr.ot bony straps. Thoso at last ourvo in
ward over tho upper jaw, tho movements of
which thoy must much hamper. These whales
havo the bony support of tho uppor jaw In tho
form ot a long, cylindrical bono, or rostrum."
denser than Ivory, nnd such structures, moro
or less mutilated, are frequently found as
fossils la pllocono strata,
THE CO1TM0S FOnPOISB.
A most curious Arctic cetacean Is tho "nar
whal," or sea unicorn, tho latter namo having
boon glvqn to It on account ot an enormous
tusk which tho molos develop. The longth
from head to tho ond of tho tall, without tho
tusk. Is about fifteen foot, but tho tusk Itself
often attains a longth of sovon or eight foot
Tho head ts short and rounded nnd tho paddlos
very broad. In color It Is dark gray above,
white below, and tho wholo body Is marbled or
spotted with blaoklsh or more or less dark
gray. It foods on small Ashen, cuttlefishes,
and crab-llko animals. It has n fow Irregular
rudimentary teeth, but besldos thorn two elon
gated teoth llo horizontally within, the uppor
jaw tn the fomalo. In tlio malo ono of
thoso, usually tho left ono, bocomon enor
mously dovolopod, jutting Btralght out
ward from tho front of tho head Ilko a
great horn. It is marked with spiral grooves
nnd rtdgos, and topers gradually to a point
Sometimes, but rarely, both tooth are thus do
volopod. Tho narwhal Is seldom to bo met with
south ot 05 north latitude, but It has at least
visited tho British coasts tlireo timos: onco In
107a it entered tho Frith of Forth: in 1800 It
fame noar Boston, In Lincolnshire, nnd in
808 another visited Bhotland. In tho mlddlo
ages it seems that tho tusks ot theso animals
wero regarded as unicorns' horns, and there
fore, on account nf tho groat medical virtues
attributed to It frngmonts of it would some
times retell moro than ten times tholr weight In
gold. Old legends assert that the untoorn,
when ho goes to drink, first dtps his horn In
tho water to purify it and that othor beasts
delay to quench their thirst till tho unicorn
has thus sweetened tho water.
Soorpshy dosorlbos narwhals as oxtremely
playful, frequently olovutlng thoir horns and
crossing them with oacb other as In fencing,
but they havo novor boon known to striko and
Slorco tho bottoms of ships as swordllsh often
0. Ite blubbor is usually about throo tnchos
in thloknoss and amounts to nearly halt a ton
in weight
The beluga, or whlto whale, is a handsomo
nnlmal ot the Arctlo Boas and Amorlcan coastas
lur south, at least as the rlvor St Lawronco,
whloh tt asoonds to a considerable dlBtancs,
It is about twelve toet long. In tho yoar 1815
ono was obsorvod for throo months swimming
lu tho Frith ot Forth. When mot with in
"schools "(for thoy are gregarious animals),
they aro not at all shy, but often follow ships
in horde of thirty or forty nnd form a romark
ablo sight from tlio beautiful whlto color ot
tho adult animals as they leap and gambol in
tho midst of a calm, dark Hen. Tho llosh has
been said to bo fairly good eating. In tho
beluga and all tho cetaeoana which remain to
bo noticod. tboro nro teeth in U10 unnor as welt
as tn tho lowor jaw.
The grumpns Is a vory powerful nnd fero
cious boast which rancos tho ocean from
Groonlund to Now Zealand, and some
times attains a lenghth or twenty teet It may
bo known when seen swimming by its dorsal
flu. which is norrow and very high. Gram
puses aro tho only ofltaei'ans which habitually
proyon warm-blooded animals. Indeed this
Bpccies is tho most voracious and destructive
inhabitant otthe ocean. Esohricht found in a
lnrgo specimen, the stomach of which meas
ured 0x4, tho bodies of various seals, flayed and
so twisted that thoy had to bo extricated one
by one to oount them. There wore also por
poises tn It. though tho body ot only ono was
ontlre. Altogether It contained tho remains
of thirteen sonlsand thirteen porpoises besides
2uo very small seal. But grampuses devour
sh as woll as warm-bloodod animals, and
among tho members ot tholr own ordor they
will even attack whalos. combining iu packs
to hunt down and destroy them, as wolves
combine to hunt down and destroy dlfforont
kinds of cattle. On tho northwont coast ot
America grampuses havo been known to soizo
nnd bear away a whalo which had boon cap
tured by whalers, in spite ot all tholr efforts to
prevent them.
Many fabulous tales havi boon told of tho
grampus, and ono of thorn rotates to thoir
iiractlco of attacking whales. It lias boon said,
tor example, that thoy hunt tho whalo In order
to gratify a somewhat rsllned luxurious taste
for "whnlo tonguo," They havo boon said ex
pressly to worry and harass tholr hugo victim
for tho purpose of making htm. in his agony,
open his mouth. Thon tho grampus was salt
to dart Instantly upon Its tonguo, selzo It and
tear It out In ordor to onjoy so delicious a
morsel.
The common pornoiso ts, of oourso, by far
tho best known of the British cotaeea. Whon
full grown tt attains a longth ot flvo or six
root It may ovory now and thon bo seon In tho
rlvor Thamos. where it has ascended to Rich
mond, and it has also roaohed Nouilly, on tho
Beino. It froquonts tho coasts ot the United
States as well us those ot Europe, but tt rarely
passos through tho Straits of Gibraltar It is
very destructive of fluh. feoding voraolously on
mackerel, pilchard, aud herrings. Such 1b its
easerneBsln mirsuit nf tlio tint Inst named
that it is often caught by flshormon In tholr
herring nets. At ono tlmo it was commonly
Satou both In Frnnoo nnd England, and was
eomod a valuable addition to thotabln on a
day ot abstinence Malcolm IV. of Scot
land granted to thp monastery ot Duuferllno
tho porpoises caught in its vicinity.
As I hnvo boforo mentioned, roast pornoiso
figured in tho banquet glvou by King lUcuard.
II,. In Westminster Hall on tho day ot his
coronation, which happened to bo a Friday, so
that no flosh moat "could bo partaken ot nt
It It was esteemed la England as late us tho
tlmo of Uueon Elizabeth, and wan eaten with a
sauco of broad erumbe and vinegar. Its skin
Is somotlmes used as leather, and Is valued
for its strength, whllo its blubber furnishes oil.
nioT wual :.
Tho pornoiso Is gregai lou. and most per
sons who live near the coast mubt often hno
observed its gambols. On the approach of 11
uterm, and oon tu the mlddlo of one. they
soom to revol In tho waves, frequently showing
tholr black bocks nbovo tho surfaco nnd often
throwing themselves clean nut ot tho water In
vigorous leap. Two which were taken In
Waroham nivor nbout 1H17 yieldod nixteeit
gallons of oil. One of them was round to hnvo
milk, which, when tasted, wits declared to bo
salt and fishy. In 1820 tlireo more were driven
right up thosamo river to tho town of Waro
ham. Then a foneo was put across the river,
both above nnd bolow them. In ordor that they
nilcht bo exhibited. Thoy plunged so i Intent
ly, however, nnd tholr erles-whlch thoy con
tinued during tho night ns well an during the
dny-were so distressing, that after tho third
day or thnlr eaptl Ity thoy wore taken trom the
water, killed, snd cut un.
In the pprpolso. as. In the right whale, the
seven nock bones unite together. The stom
ach Is divided into throe chambers, thus re
minding, us of some of. the etontoed ungu
lates. Tho brain Is very large and very broad,
ond is Bronvttd over the surfaco in a complex
pattern. The nasal passages which are, as
In all atr-bronthing animals, double In the
skull, unite and.open on the convex silrfneo ot
the head by a single external aperture, 'j'ho
cnnnl which passes from the upper surfnee of .
thoBkull to the exterior ts dilated Into cer
tain chambers which havo eliiHtle und muscu
lar walls, by which meanstho forcible ejectfon
ot thobrenlh i. e., tho "spouting Is tho moro
readily effected.
, Tho, namo "p.orpolso"BooraB to bo dorlvod
trom the French vrr-poion, or tho Italian
porro and iw r. It French name nuiiwiim, on
the other hand, corresponds with tho old Gor
man word "marsulu," whloh Is tho namo ns
thoOprmnn'' meorhchwolu." whlili lu "sou
hog" in English.
The bay porpoise of the Pitvlfla United
States ts nnunf tlioHinnlletof thocotaoea.
Tho pllot-w hale, ca'lng whnle, or round
headed .porpoise, icmarkablo as It is for the
shapo of Its hoad. is still moro romarkablo for
thp length of tts pnadloorpoctoral (in, it Is
not that tho parta answering to our upper arm
and our rorearm.are lengthened. It Is thp dig
its whleh. aro o long, nt least the apoond and
third of them,- Tha BOCond. whloh Wrong
est, contains nolcM. than twelve or thirteen
bonos. whllo tho third. has rttno. Thoro Is
nothing Ilko it in the, whole class or boasts.
Tho long flngors of tho tints novor have moro
bones than havo pur own 'lngora.
Asto the bond. It l, vory Projecting and
rounded tn front a fact duo to tho prosonco of
o great cushion of fat on tho anterior pnrt ot
tha uppor Jaw and In front of the blow hole (or
single external aporturo) of tlio nasal passages.
Tho nnlmal le of a deep rich block, except tho
throat and bolly. whloh nro white. It ts vory
wldoly dlstrihntod from tho North Atlantle to
Australia, ahd It has boon so often observed
that its hablto aro pretty woll known.. It
will oat horrlngs. ling, and fluolt croa
turos. but its favorite food consists of
outilo flshos. Tho round'hendod porpoise
is a .very gregnrlous ".nlmal and vory
unllko tho grampus la mild and toorronstvo as
well as Bootable. Thoir sociability Is ratal to
them. Blnco as soon aa onnia attacked or driven
on Bhoro thoy instlnctlvotf .rush .together and
blindly rollowtho stranded Individual till they
nro atrandod also. Tho intinbitonto of the
Orkney. Shetland, and Faroo Islands and tho
foolandera got an abundant supply or oil rrom
them. On the appoaranco or a ehoal tho men
ot tho locality pssomblo and tho sailoni try to
! lotto seaward ot them nnd then drive them
nto shoro by Bhouto and mist lies. It seems
hat thoorlos of dlstross pf tho first victims
urthor aid In attracting others to tholr vloln
ty. In 1800 a shoal of cloven hundred woro
thus takon at Uvallford. In Icoiand. In 1814 a
hundrod and . fifty woro drlyon Into Bolta
Bound, In Shetland, and thoro dospatohod.
. The short-flnned. roundhead froquents tho
Atlantle coast of tho, Mlddlo and 1 Southorn
States, while Soammon's roundhopd is found
off thoPacifieeoaet, where ltasembley In largo
"schools." and often enters bays and lagoons
tojeed on small fish. . , . . , . .
Tho dolphin, a erpoturo from "Ixtp olght
feet long, boiongs to a group of cetaceans
whloh differ from that to Which the porpoise
boiongs in that Instead of having a hoad
roundod in Bhapo. their jaws present tho ap
penranco of 0 long, narrow beak Hko that or
mnny birds. It Is nn animal both ronpwnod In
classical and medlmval lltoraturo. It was a
sacred fish to tho Greeks, religiously vene
rated bocauso whon Apollo appeared to the
Cretans and obltgod thorn to settle on tho
coast ot DoTphls,bo did so undor the form
of a dolphin. Therefore It was that at his
world-renowned oracle n' Delphi ha was wor
shipped undor the symbol of that cotacean.
It was also credited with a warm .attachment
to mankind, readily lending ite aid. In oases .of
shipwreck and disasters ot various kinds.
Thus Phalantus. tho founder of Tarentum.
whon wrecked on tho Italian coast.waB.we
aro told, carried to shore br.a dolphin No
doubt many of my readers also know Ovld'B
tale about the musician Arlon, who, when
about to bo thrown overboard by Bottom who
oovetod his possessions, bogged that he might
boporraltted to play n last melody, whloh .at
tracted admiring dolphins, ono ot whloh boro
him admiringly and safely back to Tanarus.
Secure ht (Its. ami with hrmouloui itnuu
Heiiultu bla beiror tor all friendly puni.
Pliny nlno tolls of a dolpbtn which dally car-
lod a lad to and trom his sohooj. across Lake
luorinus, tn Campania, and., of tor the
lad's death, died of a brokon heart!. Tho. shlpld
and sword ot Ulysses are described as having
borno tho Imago ot a dolphin nnd it figures on
many ancient ooins, though for the. most part
very Incorrectly with a roundod head and
Bplny tins. Yet on an nnciont Byracaenn
coin In tho British Museum tho oreaturo. Is
very faithfully doplctod. It shows a eplny
back also in heraldry, tn which sclonco It Is
reckoned ns "the king of fishes." It oppenra
in sovoral coats of arms and, amongst others,
in that of Fitz-James. which bears "a aVilpnin
nalani amoved." horaldta terms, donating it
as "swimming with a ourrod bank." .
Tho dolphin, in French dauphin, also nave
Its namo as tho titlo of tho eldost son of his
most Christian Majesty, tho King of Frnnoo
and of Navarre, tt Is said in tho following way:
?.'he Counts ol Grenoble, who tn tho ninth con
ury wore foudatorioa or the kingdom ot Aries,
subsequently becamo. as Counts of Vlenne. In
dependent and Count Guy VIIL becamo sur
named "La Dauphin" bocauso ho woro ono
o t his helmet und shield, aud his territory was
callod " DauphlneV' Tho tost of that dynasty,
having lost his only son, gave up his sov
ereignty to King Philippe, or Valols In 1340
and becamo a friar. From that time tho King s
eldOHt son was known by this titlo. as tho
English King's was by that of Prince ot Wales.
The flesh of tho dolphin. Ilko that of the por-
olso. usod to be oaten In Lent, and tho celo
rated Dr. Calus of Cambridge says that in
his tlmo it was considered a dollcaoy.
common Douwy.
Its voico consists of a low murmur. , It hat
but a slnglo young ono ntn time, which tho fe
male treats with groat tenderness and care.
Its milk is abundant and vory rich.
Dolphins are vory voracious and oat largo
quantities ot llsh. They often approach flsh
ermon's nets and thoy doubtless somotlmes
follow vessels for tho sako of rood. Thoy swim
with great veloolty and oan shoot ahead of ves
sels and round them, although they may at tho
tlmo be scudding rapidly before the broojea
Tho common dolphin is found iu tho lutdl
terranoanaud Atlantic, whllo closely allied
forms inhabit tho Australian seas and tho
north Paoiilc
A vary curious cetvoan inhabits thoGangos.
Brahmaputra, and tho Indus. It Is found
even in tho smallest tributaries ot thoso rivers,
whom thoro In wator onough tor It to swim,
but It never passes out Into the opon son. It
Sttatns eight foot In longth and is known In
engal oa tlio eoosoo. It is blind, and gronos
nbout with its long boak-like snout in muddy
waters for tho small Ashes, shrimps, and crabs
on whloh it roeds.
Another oxcluslvoly river cotnoean is round
in tho uppor Amazou and its tributaries. It is
about sevon feet long and has an elongated
beak. A Btlll longer beak is possessed by a
similar creaturo which is found at the mouth
of tho Itio do In Plata, and has been named
Pontoporla. It Is about tho smallest of the
oataceana. and does not exceed flvo feet in
longth, but it has irom fifty to sixty teeth on
cither side of each jaw.
Such aro tho moro noticeable existing forms
ot toothed nnd toothless whalos. Immense
quantities of allied forms havo been found
fossil In Inter tertiary strata, especially in
Bolgiuru nnd tho east ot England.
Tho illustrious American naturalist. Dr. liar
Ian. found a tooth in tho eocene strata of Ala
bama, to which he gavo tho name JlaslUitau
rut. but Sir Richard Owen pronouncod it to
belong to a beast Which from the term of tho
tooth ho named Zeuilodon, Horr Kock
also found fossils iu America many
years ago n number of bones of tho back
bone of some creaturo. Theso ho concocted
into an Immense creaturo 100 foot long, which
ho called tho Huaracliui. It was taken to Eu
rope whon tho gront John Mullorsaw It at Ber
lin, lie gavo a correct description nt it, show
ing that it was really but 00 tort long, at the
most.ns also thnt its backbone was formed liko
that ot cetaceans. It was a zeuglndon. Now
we know that the skull aud teeth of thut ani
mal arp vory seal-like, and thoro Is much rea
son to bnltovo that, altogether, this enigmati
cal creaturo was much moro like a seal than It
Was like any kind of whale.
This consideration leads me to mnko a tew
remqrkB as to tho origin of the cotaeeit.
Whales, whether toothed or not toothod, hn 0
eertululy nothing to do with mermaids or si
rt.11 In. The zouglodon seems to point to u di
rect connection botweoii them nnd tho senls.but
thocctucean-liko structure of that creature's
backbone may bo, merely a resomblniico In
ducod by similar linbituul needs and no slim
ot real affinity.
That tho whales, Ilko tho mermaids, do.
eceuded from some rour-loggod beasts, ts
Miown by tho fact of tholr possoesing tho
rudimonts of hind limbs. Just ostho rudi
mentary teeth of unborn. whalobono whales
show that such whales had nnlmalH with or
dliiury tooth for tholr nncestota, and that tholr
wonderful "baleen" is a comparatively mod
em Improvement.
Wherever they come from thoy mUBt hnvo
been ftolvods uen ithjt deposition nt tho chalk,
ns It is Incredible thut had they existed betoro
thntnononr their remains should have been
presorted In the crcteeoau routs. Tlio pros
encoortho soosnonnd of lna in rivuro only,
points to tho possibility nf all the eVtncea Imv
iTW i',,-!,.c,?,U?1 ,rom 'iver-lnhabltlng species,
whllo Prof. Hower. who has mado tho whnles
hlBsiiocI.il study, deems It prnbable that thoy
nrodoSL'endanls of somo moro or bus ling,
like creiiture. Thero nro. Indeed, many
anatomical points of resemblance between
tho porpolbo and tho hog. ""''
IffE JWRQCUi.
A word may be said. In eonelnslon at to the
wonderful brain i.f Uio porpoise and other
cetaceans. It cannot, evidently he n . jig 5?
i1,1'.0''?10".,0' Intellectual faculties Loyonil
thoi 0 of other, brutes. When wo recaUto rrlml
tho fact that thp hlugglsh torpid ma atoelins
very Htm plo br.ttn. It Booms that tlio faiBti
and richly convoluted condition nf the very
iictljeum! vltnclouB porpolHO mnybo duo to
lu. ed .if ncn oils supply sufficient to e rry
on tho ooimtyiit vlgniuus movements nt m oh
a wiirm-blooded Inhabitant or thn oVtwi. This
thought iniiysoru. ns a mutton ncainstiiiVii
mty Httilhiitlf.il, of a Vllrent .mnmJtlon ftSi
"Jty'.'i'kVi.St"' rroc.eatDK. of th. SSoJloglci
t) r(ucvclliiif. ( ttit i!05i1flC4l Socitty, J882, p, 7:0,
HHHMHHiaaMM
TO 'TALK WITH GORILLAS. '
Mone about 1'hof. aAnynws tto.v.
JJEltFVt EXPHIUTIOX.
lie Will 8trt Before April TVIIh n x.
heard'Of Armament The rnse He la tn
Oeeniir I" forest t fce Hum t
Alomlanm A Datlery lor Charging it
with Blectrlelty-Mlrrore, Emtsttu, mat a
New KUd at Phonograph Taken Aleig.
WAsnrKQTOH, Nov. 28. rrof. Garnor'n con.
templated expedition to gorillaland Is oxcltlng
profound eclontlflo interest nt Wnnhlngtoa,
Ills learned friondn horn aro assisting hi in
tlio preparation ot the most rcmarkublo equip.
mont over carried by an explorer. Among
othor things tt will includo phonographs, tele
phones, photpgraphlo apparatus, on oleetrlo
telegraph, and a complete taxidermist's outfit
Thero will bo a big c ago eight toet cube, milch
tho trovollor himsolf intends to occupy; also a
small cago to hold a gorilla In caso ono Is cap
tured alive. The armament to be taken ntong
tor offensive nnd dofonslvo purposes will be
altogether extraordinary and of a character
unheard ot hitherto.
Tho expedition wilt enter the mouth of the
Gaboon lllver, just undor tho oqtiotor, on the
west coast ot Africa, nnd, having secured an
esoortof natives, will proceed up tho stream
for a distanoo of 112 miles. At thnt point the
first of a series of cataracts and rapids it
reached, and thoro the party will disembark.
plunging southward Into tho tropical forests
ot the gorilla country. A locality that Is par
ticularly infested by thoso giant apes will be
ought and there, in tho midst of tho howling
eqatorial wilderness, the Professor will set tip
tils cage. Ito will occupy It alone, at night ns
well ns In the day tlmo, bolng morolr connect
cd bytelephono wlro with the rest of the party,
whtoh will bo located at a dlstanco ot half a
mile or more. It Is necessary tor his purpose
that the animals whoso language ho is desir
ous ot studying should bo disturbed In their
native haunts as llttlo as possible.
Tho cage will bo constructed In Now York.
It Is to be mado ot aluminum, for tho sukenf
lightness, and will be built In eighteen sec
tions. Thus It can bo carried very easily. All
of Its Joints will look automatically when It Is
setup. Tho door will boot rubber. Btrong
steel chains will fasten tt to the ground, lest
any gorillas should take a notion to walk awuy
With It
livery possibility of attack, howovor. Is sum
clentlr provided against In othor ways. A
' powerful .oleetrlo battery will bo bo arranged
that by the touch ot a button thoentlrocitge,
save only tho rubbor 'floor, will bo instanta
neously charged with elbotrtclty. It Prof. Oar
nor sees anyhostilo and dangorous creature
approaching, ho wlU merely have to press the
button, and tlio electric fluid will do tho rest.
Tho floroo gorilla supposing Buch a esse
upon grasping tho bars will rocclve a shock ot
500 volts. This is enough to kill a man, who
is able to eurvlvo a mors poworful stroke ot
Buch lightning than any other animal.
Recourso would not bo hod to suoh moans of
defence unless it wero absolutely necossary,
bocauso tho Professor's objoct 1b to cultivate
friendly relations with tho gorillas, aud not
to injure them. Out theso huge apes aro said
to be tho most dangerous aad ferocious crea
tures In oxlstonco, invariably attacking man
on sight and bo it is as woll to be prepared.
At a short distance from tho cago on all sides
Will bo extended copper wires, arranged In
sucli a mannerthat thoy oan be drawn taut at
about two f oet from tho ground at a moment's
notice, though ordinarily thoy simply lie slack
In the gross. Bupposothat a whole troop of
florco animals, onragod by the presence of the
cage and ite occupant should make a rush to
dostroy the ono and capture tho other. Then
the bold scientist would touoh a button, tho wire
barriers would spring taut all around him, and
tho foes, upon touching them, would bo
knockod hora de combat by a- tremendous
shock of electricity. Tho battery will be pow
erful enough to sustain In the cago a voltage
of COO volts for thirty minutes, which la likely
to bo sufficient for all purposes.
Somo ouriosity has been expressed aato tho
moans by which Prof. Garner will attract tha
goriUaa to his oago in order to interview them.
Ho does not anticipate any difficulty about
that In tho first place, these animals are' so
aggressively disposed that they may approach
him ot thelrown nocord for that reason. Again,
their curiosity Is likely to draw them. But re
lianco is had for the purpose upon certain de
vices. Effigies resembling human boings or
gorillas, or both, will be constructed and
placed in natural attitudes near the cage, to
serve as decoys. Evory ono knows how fond
all..monkoys oro ot looking nt thomselvos la
the glass, and this woakness of theirs Is to be
taken advantago of. Largo mirrors, to ho
takon along with the outfit will bo set up out
side tho cage, and nny gorillas which cufeli
sight ot thomsolvas in these looking claseoi
will presumably bo Induced to stay and mnU
remarks concerning their own porsonnl ap
pearance. Besides all this, tho Professor
hopes to exctto tha Interest of tho beasts y
learning tho meanings of their i.-triod honw
nnd responding to them himself us seduetlte
as josslblo. Fruit, too, upon which gorillas
depend chiefly for their diet, will bo scattered
about for bait
HaNlng lnduocd tho gorilKs to enmencar
tho cage, when they will doubtless hut e pic nt y
of observations to mnko In thoir own lan
guage, tho noxt thing requlslto Is to record
what they any. This will be done by means of
a phonograph which Mr. Edison Is now mak
ing expressly ror tho purpose. It will bo ilif
foren? rrom uny other phonograph mor sien.
For ono thing. It will havo two cylinders. wh'e'i
will bo workod simultaneously by an elcctrii
motor, one cylinder rooelvlng and recur ling
sounds, whllo tho other ono grinds out re
marks. Tlio object of this is readily cxplnluod.
Bupposo that a gorilla eomos up to the cag-
and utters 11 lot ot what seems like glbhciMi,
tho horn attached to tho Instrument iib-orb-Ing
It and u revolving cylinder taking it down.
Hubsoquoutly nnothor gorilla approaches, nnd
It Is doslred to find out what it will say In re
sponse to tho utterances of tho first. By com
paring tho two It Is hoped to get nn liikllns "t
tho meanings Intendod. 80 n blnnk o Under
will bo set going on the machine to receive tho
words of tho second gnrllln, while nt thn sam 1
tlmo tho tlret cylinder Is kopt g'.lng round nn I
repenting tho yelps nnd howls of gorilla :'o. I. t
I'nr tho purposn of demonstration, after tit
return, tho Professor proposes to take phot
crnptia or tho Riiiill.iH, tho cage, and lilm'e'f,
by 1111 Ingenious plan of his own. Pop ciuner.n
will bo arranged outside- the ciuo so us t jJ
mnke pictures at any momont doslred. It tt ill
add greatly to tho Interest of tho results ex
pected If he can show whon ho gets buck pho '
tographlo representations of himself In ths
net of Interviewing gorillas. Nothing more
striking can woll he imagined than such Hash
light Impressions at night or n cage set up in
thomldstora troplosl foiest. Illumined I"
olectrlclty, with nn onthushstlo scientist ln
Bldo, listening to thoohjurgatoiyiemarksot
an assemblage of giant African a pep
Prof.Oarner nntlolpates that there -n III be
Home ilitngerto bo mot with, but ho goes pre
rnred. ilo tt ant partleularlylo M-cuf-u a live
gorilla to put In tho llttlo cngo. In order that h
niiiy havo an nppnrtunlty to study Its small
talk. Hewllltakewithhlmnntnnlyrifl"aiid .
ravnlyoiB but blow guns and nlrgiins, in order '
to Kill without innklng ft noise, koium deuce
or his n.vn for deadly purposes r.re of 11 m"it
surprising nature, and capable nf slating on
the (nftant or stifling Into inp-nsll.ult) tli
mnst ferocious anliuuls. As t th- imturi
of loose, marvellous wenrnns ho im v
Wish to hnvo anything published nt pre"!!'
One purpose of thn expedition it, to gnth r
specimi'liH .of the fauna of this nlnioM ,"',
known, region. This Is why a tnxldj'rml'i .
rmtllt Is to bo takon along. It will be at
tempted to secure deslrnbln sncclnii n nlltn ,
for the National XoOlngie.il Park. Tlici.t m"
some vory strnnge beasts an yi t unfamiliar t '
-"'li'iieo In tin. foipstn of tho (caboon. I rrm 4
the (lab.. on Prof, (turner will ninkn his twiv
iij-riiss Afrh'.i, nnd tlicnee nmund tho win,
f-tinly ni; the 1111 hkeys of till countries .1"'
re, nrdlng their huigungpii n ho goes, HI" I
llcf Is that it will Lu possible tn cstnblifli In
telligent .minmunliMtioii with moiilu'ia m
soon nsn little Lnov.ln.lcncf their spe h tins
been obtained. The expedition to the Gaboon
roBlou will start btforoAniU I
mmmmMtmmWkmmkwammmataUmkmatLmLm