Is a large fish, so like the porpoise, that he has been often confounded with it, although they differ much from each other. They are, however, much larger, sometimes measuring from twenty to twenty-five feet in length. The body is roundish, growing gradually less towards the tail; the nose is long and pointed, the skin smooth, the back black or dusky blue, becoming white towards the belly; he is entirely destitute of gills, or any similar aperture, but respires and also spouts water through a pipe of semicircular form, placed on the upper part of the head. The lower end of the pipe opens in the mouth, and is capable of being opened and shut at pleasure. We find eight small teeth in each jaw; a dorsal and two pectoral fins, and the tail in the shape of a half moon. Their snouts are most useful to them when in search of eels and other fishes, which harbour in the mud at the bottom of the sea.

Several curious stories have been related of this animal, most of which are fabulous. The anecdote of Arion, the musician, when thrown overboard by pirates, having been indebted for his life to one of

these animals, is well known, and acquired great credit among ancient poets. The following interesting anecdote, related by Pliny the Younger, must be considered equally fabulous, though related by the author as a fact. "There is in Africa a town called Hippo, situate not far from the sea-coast; it stands upon a navigable lake, whence a river runs into the sea, and ebbs and flows with the tide. Persons of all ages divert themselves there with fishing, sailing, or swimming, especially boys, whom love of play and idleness bring thither. The contest among them is who shall have the glory of swimming farthest. It happened in one of these trials of skill, that a certain boy, more bold than the rest, launched out towards the opposite shore; he was met by a Dolphin, who sometimes swam before him, and sometimes behind him, then played round him, and at last took him upon his back, then set him down, and afterward took him up again: and thus he carried the frightened boy out into the deepest part, when immediately he turned back again to the shore, and landed him among his companions. The fame of this remarkable event spread through the town, and crowds of people flocked round the boy, to ask him questions and hear his answers. The next day the shore was lined with multitudes of spectators, all attentively contemplating the ocean: meanwhile the boys swam as usual, and among the rest the youth I am speaking of went into the lake, but with more caution than before. The Dolphin again appeared, and came to the boy, who, together with his companions, swam away with great precipitation. The Dolphin, as it were to invite and recall them, leaped and dived up and down, darting about in a thousand different convolutions; this he practised for several days together, till the people began to be ashamed of their timidity. They ventured therefore to advance nearer, playing with him, and calling him to them;

while he, in return, suffered himself to be touched and stroked. Use rendered them more courageous; the boy in particular, who first had experienced the safety, swam by the side of him, and leaping upon his back, was carried about in that manner: thus they gradually became acquainted and delighted with each other. There seemed now, indeed, to be no fear on either side; the confidence of the one, and tameness of the other, mutually increasing; the rest of the boys in the mean while surrounding and encouraging their companion.

"It is very remarkable, that this Dolphin was followed by a second, who seemed only as a spectator or attendant on the former; for he did not at all submit to the same familiarities as the first, but only conducted him backwards and forwards, as the boys did their comrade. But what is farther surprising, and no less true, is, that this Dolphin, who thus played with the boys, would come upon the shore, dry himself on the sand, and as soon as he grew warm, roll back into the sea. Octavius Avitus, deputy governor of the province, actuated by an absurd sense of superstition, poured some precious ointment over him as he lay on the shore: the novelty and smell of which made him retire into the ocean, and it was not till after several days, that he was seen again, when he appeared dull and languid. However, he recovered his strength, and continued his usual playful tricks. All the magistrates round the country flocked thither to see the sight, the entertainment of whom, upon their arrival and during their stay, was an additional expense, which the slender finances of this little community could ill afford; besides, the quietness and retirement of the place was utterly destroyed. It was thought proper, therefore, to remove the occasion of this concourse, by privately killing the poor Dolphin."

The elder Pliny mentions a similar circumstance of

a Dolphin, who used to carry a boy to school upon his back, and bring him back home, across the straits which separate Baiæ from Puzzoli: the boy died of an accidental illness, and for several days the disappointed fish made his appearance at the place where he was wont to take the boy up; but finding him not, soon pined away and died; he was placed in the same tomb with the remains of his friend the boy.

There are several other fables of this kind mentioned. by ancient authors, to prove the philanthropy of the Dolphin; but those related above being the most interesting, will be sufficient for our purpose. Since the province of Dauphiné in France has been united to the crown, the heir apparent has been called "Dauphin," and quarters a Dolphin on his shield. Falconer, in his beautiful poem "The Shipwreck," describes the death of this fish in the following elegant manner:

beneath the lofty vessel's stern

A shoal of Dolphins they discern,

Beaming from burnish'd scales refulgent rays,
Till all the glowing ocean seems to blaze.
In curling wreaths they wanton on the tide;
Now bound aloft, now downward swiftly glide.
Awhile beneath the waves their tracks remain,
And burn in silver streams along the liquid plain;
Soon to the sport of death the crew repair,
Dart the long lance, or spread the baited snare.
One in redoubling mazes wheels along,
And glides, unhappy, near the triple prong.
Rodmond, unerring, o'er his head suspends
The barbed steel, and every turn attends;
Unerring aim'd, the missile weapon flew,
And, plunging, struck the fated victim through.
The upturning points his ponderous bulk sustain;
On deck he struggles with convulsive pain;
But while his heart the fatal javelin thrills,
And fleeting life escapes in sanguine rills,
What radiant changes strike the astonish'd sight,
What glowing hues of mingled shade and light!
No equal beauties gild the lucid west
With parting beams all o'er profusely dress'd;
No lovelier colours paint the vernal dawn,
When orient dews impearl the enamell'd lawn;

Than from his sides in bright suffusion flow,
That now with gold empyreal seem to glow;
Now in pellucid sapphires meet the view,
And emulate the soft celestial hue;
Now beam a flaming crimson to the eye,
And now assume the purple's deeper dye:
But here description clouds each shining ray;
What terms of art can Nature's power display?"

THE PORPESSE, PORPUS, OR PORPOISE,

RESEMBLES the dolphin in outward appearance, and is of the same genus. The length of the Porpoise is, from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail, from five to eight feet; and the width about two feet and a half. The figure of the whole body is conical; the colour of the back is deep blue, inclining to shining black; the sides are gray, and the belly white. The tail is forked, and composed of several rays united by a membrane. This fish is covered with a rough skin, but has no scales; and, like all those of the whale order, his blood is as warm as that of quadrupeds. The eyes are very small; he has only three fins, one on the back, and one on each shoulder. When the flesh is cut up, it looks very much like pork; but