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Show 1868.] OF THE GREENLAND SEAS. 551 this period. Through the kindness of Hr. Bolbroe, Colonibestyrer of Egedesminde, we obtained the skeleton of a Nisa, which had been procured in this vicinity some years ago by his predecessor Hr. Zimmer; but I could see no difference in it, so far as it could be examined in the roughly prepared state, from the one usually found on the British coast. Whether the Phoceena tuberculifera, Gray*, is different from the ordinary Porpoise, I am inclined to doubt." I have examined several Porpoises caught on the British coast, and have invariably found these tubercles on the upper edge of the dorsal fin more or less developed. Independently of this, it is questionable whether such variable characters (and we know that there are many such characters in Cetacea which give no specific distinction) warrant the separation of Phoceena tuberculifera from P. communis. The flesh of the Porpoise is far from contemptible as an article of food, and is much relished by sailorsf. 12. BELUGA CATODON (L.), Gray. J Popular names.- White Whale (English whalers); Hritfisk, Hvidfisk (white fish) (Scandinavian seamen, and Danish colonists in Greenland); Kelelluak (Greenlanders and Eskimo generally). This is, beyond all comparison, so far as its importance to the Greenlanders and Eskimo is concerned, the Whale of Greenland. Like the Narwhal it is indigenous, but is only seen on the coast of Danish Greenland during the winter months, leaving the coast south of 72° N. lat. in June, and roaming about at the head of Baffin's Bay and the western shores of Davis Strait during the summer. In October it is seen to go west, not south, but in winter can be seen, in company with the Narwhal, at the broken places in the ice. Its range may be said to be the same as the Narwhal's, and during the summer months corresponds with that of the Right Whale, of which it is looked upon as the precursor. It, however, wanders further south than the Narwhal, being found as a regular denizen as far south as 63° N. lat., though on the opposite coast it reaches much further south, being quite common in the St. Lawrence river. The Greenlanders during the summer kill great numbers of them, and preserve their oil, and dry their flesh for winter use. Of this animal and the Narwhal, about 500 are yearly caught; but the majority of this number consists of the White Whale. It feeds on Crustacea, fish, and Cephalopoda; but in the stomach is generally found some sand. The Greenlanders often jocularly remark, in reference to this, that the Kelelluak takes in ballast. * Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, p. 320. t The flesh of the Porpoise and Grampus was eaten in the fourteenth century in Lent time as fish; and it is lamentable to think how much sin was committed until they were discovered to be mammals. I have heard of the monks of a Carthusian convent roasting an Otter under a similar zoologico-theological error. A M S . in the British Museum (Harl. M S S . no. 279) contains a receipt for making " puddynge of Porpoise;" and we find it served at table as late as the time of Henry VIII.. and in Scotland even still later. In the accounts of Holyrood Palace we find frequent entries of monies paid for " Porpess " for the royal table. |
