The New International Encyclopædia/Porpoise

​PORPOISE (OF. porpeis, porpois, pourpois, dialectic Fr. pourpeis, from Lat. porcus, swine, hog, pig + piscis, fish; cf., with reversed order of components, Port. peixe porco, Olt. pesce porco, porpoise). A small active cetacean, of the family Delphinidæ, having a form similar to the dolphins, but the muzzle short, uniformly convex, and without a beak; a dorsal fin; the teeth numerous, simple, and equal. The common porpoise (Phocæna communis) is plentiful in all northern seas and is only 6 to 8 feet in length. The body is spindle-shaped, the skin perfectly smooth and destitute of hair, and there are from 40 to 50 teeth in each jaw. The eye is rather small, with the pupil in the form of a V, and the opening of the ear is very minute. The crescent-shaped blow-hole is situated between the eyes. Large numbers are often seen together, sometimes gamboling, 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. They feed on fish, and pursue the 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 infrequently caught on such occasions, for the sake of its skin, oil, and 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 shoestrings and for other purposes. Under the skin is a layer of fat, about an inch in depth, which yields oil of the finest quality. The flesh was in former times highly esteemed, but it is now little eaten by civilized people. Several other species of Phocæna occur in the South Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, while the name ‘porpoise’ is carelessly extended to almost any of the smaller dolphins. Consult: Beddard, A Book of Whales (London, 1900); Goode, Fishery Industries, sec i. (Washington, 1884); True, Bulletin of the United States National Museum, No. 36 (ib., 1889).

Skunk, or bay porpoise
Skunk, Or Bay Porpoise.

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